Happy meal prep Sunday! I saw this video floating around Facebook from Eating Well. I’ve been on a bowl quick lately and seem to favor them because 1. it’s one plate (or in this case bowl); 2. everything is right there — protein, veggies, grain and your own add on’s; and 3. it’s way easier to assemble and fun to eat, especially with a busy schedule. PLUS, they’re so easy to make for weekday meals and easy to recycle leftovers. Here’s a take on a Mexican-inspired Chipotle Chicken Bowls. I didn’t use cheese and swapped sour cream for non-fat plain Greek yogurt. I made my own salsa, tweaked from Steak, Beans & “Rice” with a Fresh Tomatillo Salsa. It’s super fresh with the lime juice and cilantro.
Ingredients (serves 4).
For the Chipotle Chicken:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 t light olive oil
- 1 T chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped *
- 1 t oregano
- 1 t garlic powder
- 3/4 t cumin
- Dash of salt
* If you don’t have chipotle peppers in adobo, use the same spice blend (oregano, garlic, cumin), but add 1/8 t cayenne and 1/4 t paprika.
For the Bowl:
- 1 c canned pinto beans (drained/rinsed)
- 2 c romaine lettuce, chopped
- 2 c rice of choice (I used cauliflower for one bowl and brown rice for another)
- 1/4 c non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 avocado, cubed or sliced
- 1 jalapeño, sliced (optional)
- Cilantro
- Lime wedge
- 1/4 to 1/2 c salsa (see below for homemade version)
For the Salsa: if you want to use a homemade option
- 15-20 cherry tomatoes
- 1 T lime juice
- 1/4 c cilantro, packed
- 1/4 jalapeño (with seeds)
- Salt to taste
- Dash of garlic powder (optional)
Directions.
- Salsa: combine all ingredients in small food processor or blender. (You can toss in the tomatoes whole.) Blend until desired salsa consistency.
- This is really made “by taste” so add amounts of lime, cilantro and salt as preferred. Grab some tortilla chips and taste test along the way!
- Chicken: preheat oven to 400 F. Line a pan with foil.
- In a ziplock, toss all ingredients for the chicken and marinate for 30-60 min (preferred) or let sit for 5 min.
- Bake for 8-10 min, flip, and then bake for another 8-10 min until chicken is cooked through.
- In the same pan you baked the chicken, shred chicken with two forks. This keeps the chicken in all the juices that cooked out initially.
- Place under broiler for 3-5 min to allow chicken to brown and slightly crisp.
- Remove from oven and cover to keep warm until serving.
- Bowl: assemble the bowl with: 1/2 c shredded chicken, 1/2 c rice of choice, 1/4 c pinto beans, 1/4 of the avocado, 1/2 c chopped romaine (packed), 1-2 T salsa, 1 T Greek yogurt, jalapeño medallions (optional and up to you to remove the seeds or not!), lime wedge and fresh torn cilantro leaves.
- If doing a meal prep, add lettuce and avocado the night before or morning of.
- Enjoy!
Adapted from Eating Well‘s Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowls.
