Easy Southwest Chicken Burrito Bowls (Meal Prep)
These Southwest Chicken Bowls are a flavorful meal that you can easily prep in advance for busy weeknights! Tender chicken is mixed with cilantro lime rice, black bean & corn salsa & romaine lettuce. Everything is topped off with a smoky Southwest dressing! It's a healthy meal the whole family will love.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Black Bean & Corn Salsa
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed about 2 cups
- 1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, drained and rinsed about 2 cups
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped about 1 cup
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped about 1 cup
- ¼ a red onion, chopped about ½ cup
- 1 roma tomato, chopped
- 1 jalapeno optional
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ¼ cup limes juice about 2 limes
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey optional
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper more to taste
For Cilantro Lime Rice
- 1 cup jasmine rice, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoon lime juice 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper more to taste
For Southwest Dressing
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil mayonnaise or your favorite mayo (optional)
- 2 tablespoon lime juice 1 lime
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper more to taste
For Assembling the Bowls (optional)
- romaine lettuce or your favorite greens
- avocado slices
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Cut the chicken into cubes. Add the marinade ingredients including the spices and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a medium bowl and add the chicken. Give it a toss until everything is coated. Set aside to let the chicken marinade at least 30 minutes while you make the other components of the bowl. *marinade up to 24 hours in the fridge.
- Make the cilantro lime rice: cook rice according to the instructions on the package. Let it cool about 5-10 minutes and then add the cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, garlic powder, salt & black pepper. Mix to combine.
- Make the Black Bean & Corn Salsa: while the rice is cooking, prep your salsa. Finely chop the bell peppers, roma tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, and jalapeno (if using). Drain and rinse the black beans and corn. If using fresh or frozen corn, cook it using your preferred cooking method first. Add the chopped vegetables, black beans, corn, cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, honey, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Toss to combine.
- Prep the Southwest Dressing: to a blender, add the dressing ingredients and blend until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Cook the chicken: heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the remaining olive oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes on one side, undisturbed. Flip and cook another 3-4 minutes until fully cooked to an internal temperature of 165℉ (75°C)
- Assemble the bowls! Add the rice, chicken, romaine lettuce (or greens of choice), and salsa to a bowl. Top it with the Southwest Dressing and toppings of choice.
Video
Notes
Expert Tips
- Marinade the chicken for 30 minutes, up to 24 hours in the fridge.
- Be careful when adding the chicken to the hot oil because it may splatter!
- A small amount of mayo added to the Greek yogurt goes a long way in this recipe and cuts the tanginess of the Greek yogurt! It also helps the dressing emulsify a bit better. With that said, you can totally leave the mayo out. It still tastes great.
- Rinse the rice under cold water in a mesh strainer before cooking. This helps get rid of some of the starch and will prevent the rice from becoming gummy while it cooks.
- Don't remove the lid from the pot while the rice cooks! It will release some of the steam.
- I like to finely chop the vegetables for the black bean salsa.If you or someone you are serving doesn't like cilantro, replace it with parsley or leave it out. The meal will still have plenty of flavor.
- Meal Prep - meal prep in advance by chopping the veggies for the salsa. You can also make the cilantro lime rice and the dressing in advance!
- Storage for Chicken - store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Storage for Cilantro Lime Rice - let the rice cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- Storage for Black Bean & Corn Salsa- store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- Storage for Southwest Dressing - store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. A mason jar works perfectly. Or grab these single-serve dressing containers for on-the-go.
For more nutrition information and tips, visit mallorythedietitian.com. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! 😊
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!