This week, here in London, we have had all weather from sunshine to snow. The temperatures of course are still low and when it is cold and snowing outside I crave something that feels like sunshine in a bowl. This certainly fulfils that requirement. For me it transports me to Mexico, however I am sure this is not at all authentic. Nevertheless I am bringing you with me on this psudeo-mexican trip with my Chicken Burrito Bowl.
As I am sure you have noticed this dish does have a few different components and so does call for multiple pans. Whilst I will apologise for the amount of washing up, I can assure you once you have tasted this you will see it is worth it. In fact I would suggest making twice the below amount and then you could have it for lunch the following day. I am not meaning to put you off, rather encourage you that if I think the washing up is worth it then it must be. I used a griddle pan for the chicken but you could of course use a frying pan or put it under the grill.
Now – a timeline for cooking this dish. It does require flipping between elements a stir here a slice there. But I hope this will help you see that it is perfectly manageable and in no way stressful.
- Firstly chop the chicken and place in bowl with oil, hot sauce and spices.
- Slice you half onion and red pepper into thin strips.
- Get the onions and peppers gently cooking in a frying pan stirring occasionally until soft.
- During this time mix the grated garlic cloves and salt and cook for 1-2 mins before adding the rice and stirring to coat in oil, then add chicken stock.
- Heat the griddle pan and drain the black beans
- In a small saucepan combine the black beans, water, garlic granules & paprika and put on a medium low heat to simmer away.
- Put the chicken on the griddle pan and cook
- Once the rice, chicken, peppers & onion & black beans are all cooked drain the rice in a sieve and pour over hot water. Then fluff with a fork and stir through chopped fresh coriander.
- Place into bowls keeping sections if you wish, last step is to slice an avocado and spritz over plenty of lime juice and chopped fresh coriander and serve with a dollop of sour cream.
This dish is a favourite in our house, as it does not feel ‘heavy’. There are certainly times when a comforting heavy meal is required, no needed. However more often than not I prefer food that feels good for the soul. The amount of colours you get from this bowl certainly helps you feel great, the red pepper the black beans, green avocado. You can use white or brown rice, whatever you prefer, obviously brown rice is a better choice nutritionally but I am in no position to judge. You could also add in another colour of pepper yellow of orange (I suggest them as I cannot abide a green pepper) that would also add another colour to the dish.
This Chicken Burrito Bowl is comforting and familiar whilst still managing to be exciting and new. Something that I put down to the zingy addition of the lime and brightness of the coriander, with the deeper notes of garlic and chilli. I could eat this in the depths of winter or outside in the bright sun of summer. It truly is one of those dishes that crosses over different seasons. It is not a beef stew with mashed potato that is generally relegated to colder months, it is much lighter and brighter than that. I urge you to try this one out and hope it will become one of your go to recipes. If you are looking for other recipes that I think you can take comfort from all year long try my Moroccan Lamb Meatballs or my Pretender’s Paella.
If you try this Chicken Burrito Bowl let me know how you got on in the comments below. You can share your pictures on social media with me. Tag me on Instagram @cubbinthekitchen or use the #CUBBintheKitchen to be featured in my stories.
Chicken Burrito Bowl
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 Chicken Breast
- 1 tbsp Garlic Oil
- 1.5 tsp Chipotle Hot Sauce I use Cholula
- 1 tsp Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
For the Peppers
- 1 Red Pepper
- Half an Onion
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
For the Rice
- 85 grams Rice
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 450 ml Chicken Stock Recipe
- 2 tbsp Chopped Fresh Coriander
For the Black Beans
- 1 x tine Black Beans
- 1 tsp Garlic Granules
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 130 ml Water
To Serve
- 1 Avocado
- 1 Lime
- Bunch of Fresh Coriander
Instructions
- Chicken First – Dice the Chicken and place in bowl with Garlic Oil, Hot Sauce, Chilli Powder and Cumin. Let this sit for 15-20mins. During which time you can continue with the next steps.
- Now Onions & Peppers – Slice the half Onion and Red Pepper into thin strips. Heat the Olive Oil in a frying pan over a low heat get the Onions and Peppers gently cooking stirring occasionally until soft.
- Next the Rice – Grate the two cloves of Garlic and mix with a good pinch of salt. Heat the Olive Oil in a saucepan and cook Garlic for 1-2 mins before adding the Rice and stirring to coat in oil, then add Chicken Stock, cover with a lid, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Onto the Beans – Drain the Black Beans and rinse well. Now add to a small pan along with the Garlic Granules, Paprika and Water, set over a low heat to simmer and thicken.
- Back to the Chicken – Heat a griddle pan over a medium heat and place the chicken on, turning once the chicken has turned golden underneath, this should take about 8 mins.
- Rice Again – Now finely chop a bunch of Fresh Coriander and set half aside to scatter on top, Now drain the rice and pour over hot water from a freshly boiled kettle. Fork through to fluff up and stir through half the chopped Coriander.
- Bowls Up – Arrange the Rice, Pepper & Onion, Black Beans and Chicken in bowls, slice the Avocado spritz the sliced Avocado with lime juice to prevent discolouring and serve with wedges of Lime and chopped fresh coriander and with a dollop of sour cream.
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