Chicken Burrito Bowls are a real favorite meal in our house. They are loaded with spicy chicken, rice, lettuce, and a variety of add-ins and toppings! They are quick and easy to make and loaded with fresh flavors!
They make for the perfect weekday lunch or a brilliant flavor-filled light supper. They also make for a great meal-prep option. Colorful, healthy, and deliciously versatile, you are sure to never get bored with this delightful meal in a bowl!
There is plenty of goodness here. Black beans, corn, tomatoes, lettuce, rice, and a fabulously tasty spicy chicken. With some guacamole, sour cream, and lime wedges, there is nothing about these easy to make bowls that you will not like. I could eat one every day and never get bored! Its that simple!
Healthy, crunchy, and delicious, they are a fabulous way of enjoying a chicken burrito without the tortillas or cheese!! I can totally promise you that you will not miss them even a little bit!
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS A BURRITO BOWL?
A Burrito Bowl is a way of enjoying your favourite burrito but without a lot of carbs. They use a minimal amount of rice but include plenty of fresh, colourful, and crunchy vegetables. They are also extremely versatile. Don’t like corn? Use another vegetable that you do like! Want more rice? By all means, have it! Prefer kidney beans over black beans? Why not! Salsa instead of, or in addition to the guacamole. Go for it! Vegetarian in the family to please? Use cubes of tofu or shredded Jackfruit instead of the chicken. Don’t like chicken? Use ground beef or turkey, or even pork! You can make these as flavourful and colourful as you like!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN BURRITO BOWLS
For the chicken:
For the bowl:
Optional garnishes:
If you make sure that everything in the bowl is bite-sized and you just cannot go wrong! All of your favourite Mexican flavours packed into a tasty bowl!
HINTS AND TIPS TO MAKE BURRITO BOWLS
- Read through the recipe several times to help familiarise yourself with any ingredients, methods, or equipment you might need.
- Assemble everything you need for the recipe before you begin. This simple step can help to prevent you from leaving out something important and integral to the recipe.
- I use poached chicken breast meat. To poach chicken breasts, place them in a saucepan of lightly salted cold water to cover. Bring to the boil and then simmer over low heat for about fifteen minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the liquid until you can handle it comfortably with your hands. Drain well and shred into bite-sized pieces with your hands or two forks.
- You can also use leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken if you have it. Simply shred and treat as if you had poached chicken.
- If you want, you can marinate raw chicken breast fillets or thighs in the oil and seasonings. Take boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets or thighs and place them in a ziplock baggie with all of the chicken ingredients. Seal, squish everything about a bit to mix it all together and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for an hour or two. Grill, fry, or roast until done and the juices run clear. Cut into cubes and use them.
- I have used cooked long-grain white rice for this. (Cook according to package directions. Cool quickly and refrigerate.) You could also use brown rice or even Basmati rice. The important thing is to cool your cooked rice quickly and then refrigerate it promptly.
- Always drain and rinse your tinned beans and corn before using them. This helps to refresh them and takes away any tinny flavor. Drain them well prior to using it.
- I have used romaine lettuce. I find it has a nice crisp texture and bright green color. Feel free to use iceberg or any other lettuce you prefer.
- I have used ready-made quality guacamole for this, but you can make your own from scratch if you wish, or even skip the guacamole and use sliced or chunked avocado in its place.
- If you are not fond of chicken you can use any shredded cooked meat you would prefer. Shredded roast beef, turkey, or pork are especially nice. You can also brown some ground beef or turkey with the spice/oil mixture if you prefer to use that! All are delicious.
- Feel free to replace the low-fat sour cream with low-fat Greek yogurt, or even low fat crème Fraiche.
You can think of these Chicken Burrito Bowls as being healthier and cheaper than any ready-made burrito bowl you might buy in the shops or restaurants! Once you have all the ingredients assembled they go together in a flash!
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN BURRITO BOWLS
Heat the oil in a skillet. Toss the chicken with the lime juice, white wine vinegar, chili paste and spices. Add to the skillet.
Cook, stirring frequently, over medium high heat, until the chicken is heated through and nicely glazed. Set aside.
To assemble bowls, evenly divide the lettuce, black beans, corn, rice, and tomato into four separate bowls, placing everything into the bowl in a decorative manner. Top each with a portion of the chicken, 2 TBS of sour cream and 2 TBS of guacamole.
Serve with lime wedges, jalapenos, and a splash of hot sauce if desired.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
These delightful bowls contain all the best of Mexican flavors, transformed into one convenient meal prep bowl, with a healthy balance of what’s good for you. This not only makes for a deliciously light supper, but you can prepare four individual meal-prep containers for lunches during the week, portable and ready to go with you, be it to work or to school. They will keep tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days.
If you really want to be healthy and add more fibre you can use brown rice. You can also use alternative grains such as quinoa, amaranth, couscous or even barley. (just cook according to package directions.)
Incredibly adaptable, you can use whichever proteins, vegetables, or garnishes that you like and enjoy.
For a really fun supper or a get-together, why not set out everything in individual bowls and let people help themselves! People really enjoy this option!
In that case I would increase the available ingredients and have possibly two or three grain options, several kinds of beans, a few different proteins and a nice variety of crisp vegetables and toppings!
Loaded with juicy, flavor-filled pieces of chicken, corn beans, and other fun toppings, these Burrito bowls make for an easy to create and fun weeknight meal or lunch. Healthier and fresher than anything you can buy in the shops; they are destined to become a firm family favorite. You can feel free to enjoy these without guilt and know that you are feeding yourself and your family something which is actually good for them! We really enjoy these and I hope that you will too!
Chicken Burrito Bowls Recipe
Healthy chicken burrito bowls are filled with colour and crunch. Your family are really going to love these!
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 cups shredded poached chicken breast
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 2 TBS fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp chipotle chili paste
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the bowl:
- 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 (15-oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-oz) can of corn niblets, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup of cooked rice (can use white or brown)
- 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
- ½ cup plain sour cream (can use low fat)
- ½ cup prepared guacamole
To top: (all optional)
- Lime wedges, sliced jalapeno peppers, hot sauce, salsa
Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a skillet. Toss the chicken with the lime juice, white wine vinegar, chili paste and spices. Add to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium high heat, until the chicken is heated through and nicely glazed. Set aside.
2. To assemble bowls, evenly divide the lettuce, black beans, corn, rice, and tomato into four separate bowls, placing everything into the bowl in a decorative manner. Top each with a portion of the chicken, 2 TBS of sour cream and 2 TBS of guacamole.
3. Serve with lime wedges, jalapenos, and a splash of hot sauce if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 495 per bowl (using low fat sour cream)
Marie Rayner is a retired Chef, freelance writer, recipe developer, food blogger, and Cookbook author. She makes her home in Chester, UK, where she lives with her husband, Todd, and their much beloved English Cocker, Mitzie. Her motto is “Life is far too short to eat bad food,” and her goal is to share delicious and easy recipes which anyone can enjoy and cook in the comfort of their own home.
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