These easy chicken burrito bowls are piled high with cilantro lime rice, grilled corn, flavorful chicken, black beans, and all the toppings you want.
This quick and simple meal has become one of our go-to weeknight dinners! The best part? Anyone can customize their own plate. (This is perfect for picky eaters!)
Why Chicken Burrito Bowls Are So Easy
These burrito bowls are the perfect weeknight meal! Many of the components can be prepared in advance, making the job easier.
- Chicken + Marinade: Marinate the chicken briefly. hour or max eight hours. And if you’re pressed for time, just dip the chicken in the marinade, let it sit for a few minutes, and then cook. Although the flavor isn’t quite as pronounced, the chicken is still delicious.
- topping: If necessary, pre-cut and prepare all toppings.
- bean: Drain and rinse the beans ahead of time, then store them in a container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- rice: This recipe is the perfect way to use up any type of leftover rice, such as cilantro lime rice, garlic butter rice, cooked white or brown rice, and more. You can use other types of ingredients like quinoa instead of rice. The recipe below includes my favorite way to make Cilantro Lime Rice.
Cooking options: Cook the chicken in a frying pan or air fryer. The recipe includes instructions for both. Cooking chicken with marinade turns out very juicy and tasty.
Key Ingredients for Chicken Burrito Bowl
Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be easily adapted if you need to swap them out or swap them out based on food allergies, food preferences, or what ingredients you have on hand.
- chicken: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chicken tenders, or chicken thighs.
- Marinade: A simple marinade is a mixture of olive oil, lime juice, red wine vinegar, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt.
- Black beans: Rinse and drain canned black beans to add nutrition, protein, and fiber. You can easily substitute other types of canned beans in place of the black beans.
- corner: You can use many different types of corn in this recipe. Canned corn kernels rinsed and drained. Thaw frozen corn kernels and pat dry (no need to cook). Fresh corn kernels, cut off the cob (no need to cook). For a delicious variation, I like to use frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe’s.
- rice: Cooked brown rice, white rice, or quinoa are great for this recipe. You can use Mexican-style rice, cilantro lime rice, garlic butter rice, coconut rice, etc. for a variety of flavor variations.
- dressing: You can use homemade or store-bought cilantro lime dressing, or you can use another type of dressing (such as ranch). This is my recipe for Cilantro Lime Dressing.
And don’t forget… Rich Toppings: The great thing about this recipe is that you can use whatever toppings you like! Our favorites are shredded cheese, diced tomatoes and avocado, shredded lettuce, and crushed tortilla chips.
Additional Tips and Notes
This recipe is very easy to level up or keep simple (depending on the recipe).
Here’s how to level up my favorite chicken burrito bowl.
- Try making cilantro lime dressing at home. (This stuff is drinkable, and so delicious.) It will keep well in the refrigerator for about a week.
- Before serving, simmer the beans with 1/2 to 1 cup of green or red salsa for about 5 to 10 minutes. This adds tons of flavor and a bit of crispiness.
- Use Roasted Corn – My favorite easy method is to grab frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe’s. It’s so delicious!
- Make Cilantro Lime Rice (my favorite way to make it is in the recipe). You can use any other rice, but this bowl with cilantro lime rice is really delicious.
Customizable, adaptable, and absolutely insanely delicious, these recipes are some of my favorites. I could eat a variety of these chicken burrito bowls every night of the week. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Easy Chicken Burrito Bowl
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equipment
- air fryer
- box grater
- wire whisk
ingredient
Chicken + Marinade:
- 2 pound Boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoon Red wine vinegar (see notes)
- 2 cloves 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic or garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon red pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- a pinch of pepper
bowl:
- 1 (15 ounce) can Black beans, rinse and drain
- 1 ½ to 2 cup Corn kernels (see notes)
- 3 cup Cooked brown rice, white rice, cilantro lime rice, or quinoa (see notes)
- Cilantro Lime Dressing or other dressing of your choice (see notes)
topping:
- Chopped lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, crushed tortilla chips, chopped cilantro, olives, etc.
guideline
- For chicken, Cut the chicken into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces and place in a resealable bag or bowl.
- Whisk together olive oil, fresh lime juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour over chicken and toss to coat. Cover or seal bag and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
- Cook chicken on the stovetop or in an air fryer.
- Cooktop: Pour chicken and marinade into a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spread the chicken into an even layer and cook, undisturbed, for 1 to 2 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring or turning, until the chicken is cooked through. Cook for 3 to 4 more minutes.
- Air fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour chicken and marinade into basket. Cook for 7-8 minutes until cooked through.
- To assemble: Scoop the rice or quinoa into a bowl or plate. Add toppings of your choice, such as chicken, black beans, corn, etc. Drizzle with dressing. take pleasure in!
memo
corner: Different types of corn are suitable for this recipe. Rinse and drain the canned corn kernels. Thaw frozen corn kernels and pat dry (no need to cook). Fresh corn kernels, cut off the cob (no need to cook). For a delicious variation, I like to use frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe’s.
rice: This bowl is really delicious with cilantro lime rice. But you can use whatever rice you have on hand (cooked quinoa works well too). For the Cilantro Lime Rice in this recipe, combine 1 1/2 cups white jasmine rice, 2 cups water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a vigorous boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 16 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 to 10 minutes. Whisk the rice and mix in the zest of one lime, 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice, and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro. (This recipe is from my cookbook, using water instead of broth and stirring in the zest and lime juice after cooking.)
dressing: This is my recipe for Cilantro Lime Dressing. You can use store-bought cilantro lime dressing, or any other type of dressing (like ranch).
nutrition
Recipe Source: At Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
The Easy Chicken Burrito Bowl post first appeared on Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.
