Chicken Burrito Bowls
Chipotle-spiced chicken breast over cilantro-lime rice with black beans, corn, pico de gallo and avocado. Combines chicken and beans to push protein above 45g per serving — better than Chipotle and ready in 35 minutes.
Ingredients
- 600 gchicken breast
- 300 gwhite rice
- 400 gcanned black beans
- 200 gfrozen or canned corn
- 2 limes
- 1 avocado
- 4 tbspfresh cilantro
- 2 tspchili powder
- 1 tspcumin
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 1 tspgarlic powder
- 1 tsponion powder
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 200 gpico de gallo or salsa
- 1 tspsalt
Method
- Mix the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and ½ tsp salt in a small bowl. Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness of about 1.5 cm — this ensures they cook evenly and stay juicy. Coat with 1 tbsp olive oil and the spice mix.
- Cook the rice according to package instructions. When hot, fluff with a fork and stir in the juice of 1 lime and 2 tbsp chopped cilantro. Season with a pinch of salt. Keep warm.
- Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken 5–6 minutes per side until the internal temperature reaches 74°C (165°F) and the outside is well browned. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice against the grain into strips.
- While the chicken rests, warm the black beans in a small pan with a pinch of salt. Heat the corn if using frozen.
- Slice the avocado. Squeeze the remaining lime over the avocado immediately to prevent browning.
- Assemble the bowls: cilantro-lime rice as the base, sliced chicken, black beans, corn, pico de gallo, sliced avocado. Scatter remaining cilantro over the top and finish with a squeeze of lime. Serve immediately.
FAQ
Three techniques. First: pound the breast to even thickness before cooking — this is the single most important step. A breast with one thick end and one thin end will be overcooked on the thin side before the thick side is done. Aim for 1.5 cm throughout. Second: cook over medium-high heat and don't move the chicken around — let one side develop a full golden-brown crust before flipping. This takes 5–6 minutes per side for a pounded breast. Third: rest for 5 full minutes before cutting. Cutting too soon releases all the juices onto the cutting board instead of keeping them in the meat.
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Comments (1)
Salt the chicken breast at least 30 minutes before cooking chicken burrito bowls, or right before — never in between. Salt draws moisture to the surface; given 30+ minutes it reabsorbs. At 10 minutes, it's just sitting there making things wet.