Naked Chicken Burrito Bowls

Build your own healthy Tex-Mex meal with deconstructed chicken burritos in bowls. 

A healthy yet tasty dinner that can please every family member? These Naked Chicken Burrito Bowls are pretty darn close to fitting this challenging criteria.

This Tex-Mex dinner delight comes from Debbi over at Debbi Does Dinner Healthy & Low Calorie, who I was assigned to this month for the Secret Recipe Club.

What I like about Debbi’s blog and her recipes is there’s no fuss involved AND they all clock in at around 500 calories – something this dietitian can get behind.

I also like how she made her own taco seasoning vs. buying the prepackaged stuff for this recipe. And the 3-ingredient cilantro lime rice is a great side dish to make anytime. These days, I’m loving both basmati brown rice and jasmine brown rice. (I get them at Trader Joe’s.) Both are terrific options if you want to try to eat more whole grains but regular brown rice just doesn’t do it for you. (You could also do half white rice and half brown rice at first to slowly up your whole grain intake.)

Besides the healthy ingredients, I love that this is basically a customized dinner recipe. Vegetarians can add more beans; or you could cook up some shrimp or tilapia to make seafood burrito bowls instead. The variations are almost endless. I served it with corn tortillas one night and ate it over romaine lettuce the next day as a salad. 

Naked Chicken Burrito Bowls

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• Author: by Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD
• Yield: 6 - 8 servings 1x

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Description

Build your own healthy Tex-Mex meal with deconstructed chicken burritos in bowls. 

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Ingredients

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For the chicken:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

For the rice:

• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups brown basmati rice or brown jasmine rice, rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Juice of one large lime

For the beans:

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans or black beans, drained and rinsed well

For the toppings:

• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cabot Light Cheddar or Cabot Pepper Jack
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
• Shredded romaine lettuce
• Diced onions
• Fresh Salsa
• Cilantro
• Corn tortillas

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Instructions

1. For the chicken, place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag. Add chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon canola oil. Seal bag and massage together until chicken is well coated. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
2. To cook chicken, coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add chicken with marinade and saute for 7 -8 minutes until chicken is cooked through, stirring every minute or so. Remove from pan.
3. For the rice, bring water to a boil in a large sauce pan. Add rice, reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 35-40 minutes (or follow instructions on package.) Fluff rice with a fork and mix in cilantro and lime juice.
4. For the beans, heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a medium skillet. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add beans and cook until warm, about 1 – 2 minutes.
5. Serve chicken, rice, beans and all other toppings in serving bowls and let everyone fix their own burrito bowl.

Notes

Adapted from Debbi Does Dinner Healthy & Low Calorie’s Naked Chicken Burrito Bowls

Seriously, double this recipe when making it because the leftovers could be made into a new lunch/dinner combo each consecutive day (until they are gone!)

Do you like Tex-Mex food? Do you cook it at home often?