Chicken Burrito Bowls
The best thing about this recipe is the versatility! If you do not like fajita veggies and only want your protein, rice, and beans, you can do that! If you want to add a bunch of cheese and guacamole, you can do that! If you want to keep your hot and cold ingredients separately, you can do that! Maybe you like pinto beans and not black beans, or you like both and not corn (which is crazy but you do you), you can do that! Any and everything you can do so you enjoy this deliciously nutritious meal is a win for meal prepping.
Ingredients: (8 servings)
4 chicken breasts cut into 1/2 inch chunks
2 cups of brown rice, dry
1 can of black beans
1 can of sweet corn
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 white onion, diced
1 jalapeño, diced (and seeds removed if you want to lessen the heat)
2 bell peppers (different colors makes for a prettier meal), julienned
1 red onion, julienned
1 bunch of cilantro
3 limes
Various seasonings to get the desired burrito/taco flavor, most important are probably Tajin, salt, pepper, chili powder, oregano, cumin and garlic powder.
Recipe:
1) Measure out your rice and the proper water ratio and get the water boiling. Once it is boiling, add your rice and turn it down to a simmer. Follow the package instructions for cooking, but usually brown rice takes the longest to cook so I like getting it on first so it can go low and slow and you can let it do its thing. The trick to rice is not checking on it too much so it can soften and absorb all of the moisture. Season early with the rice so that as it opens up it will absorb all of the aromatics and flavors that you want to be consistent throughout the entire dish. I season everything consistently and at every stage so get used to adding all of the various seasonings at each step of the way.
2) Season your chicken with your desired spices and place in a hot skillet or wok and cook until completely cooked, 165°F. It is very important to cook your chicken all the way through to kill any potential bacteria.
3) After cooking the chicken, cook the peppers and onions in the same skillet and season as you did the chicken. You only want to cook these a few minutes so they stay bright in color, but they absorb some of the seasoning that you have added. These are great even fresh, but we want them to be more fajita style.
4) Add together your diced roma tomatoes, dice white onion, diced jalapeño, chopped cilantro, and the juice of one lime in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, and Tajin to taste. This pico de gallo is incredible and takes the dish to a whole new level. Burrito bowls can get boring, but this alone will have you wanting to come back for more every day. Set this to the side, or in the fridge, while you finish cooking everything else.
5) Check your rice as it should be getting close to finishing or might be done already. Fluff and remove from heat.
6) Open and drain the cans of beans and corn.
7) Get your 8 containers ready and start layering everything together. We like to start with rice on the bottom and then adding everything in sections on top of that. Top with a little extra cilantro and a lime wedge and enjoy!