These bowls are packed with spicy chicken, fiber filled black beans, fajita veggies and creamy cilantro-lime quinoa! Say hello to your favorite healthy meal of 2018!
Happy New Year, my friends! I hope your holiday season was filled with love, joy and lots of good food. Diet culture will tell you that today you need to completely detox yourself of everything good in life. But not here! I’m here to tell you about the most AMAZING recipe that not only tastes good, but will make you feel good!
I’m not going to lie to you guys. Ben and I probably eat this meal at least twice a week. We’ve always had a thing for burrito bowls. My life was truly transformed when Ben introduced me to Moe’s. WELCOME TO MOEEEE’S! That’s how they great you every time you walk in. Seriously, they yell it in their happy voice and it immediately puts you in a good place knowing you’re about to eat some great food.
To cut down portion sizes, we always end up splitting a chicken burrito bowl. Let me give you a quick rundown of what we get on our bowl. Rice, beans, chicken, veggies, some type of salsa and then of course, guac and sour cream and cheese because #balance.
So, after spending many, many dollars on burrito bowls – I thought to myself. Why am I not making this myself at home? I could save a lot of money and know exactly what is in each ingredient. Not to mention, there are bound to be leftovers at my house plus I can eat it whilst in my pajamas. Yup, sold!
And so my healthy spicy chicken burrito bowls were born. An easy, quick recipe that is completely guilt free and delicious at the same time!
So, let’s begin with the “base” of the bowl. Quinoa. But not just regular ol’ bland quinoa. I added in lime AND cilantro after cooking it to make sure this had a nice zesty kick to it! The trick to good quinoa is making sure it gets light and fluffy. I always add in a teaspoon of avocado oil at the end to make sure it retains its moisture and doesn’t dry out! Side note: no judgement if you just want to buy microwaveable quinoa. Especially if you’re hangry. #timesaver
Next, we add beans! You can use black beans, pinto beans, or refried beans. I love refried the most – they’re just so unbelievably creamy! However, in this particular recipe, I appreciate the added texture of the black beans. Not to mention, they add a HUGE amount of fiber to this meal. Yay for gut health!
I love adding in extra vegetables to this meal. Chop up half an onion, half of a bell pepper and a handful of mushrooms. Sauté those babies up in a pan!
Lastly, you’re going to want to prep the chicken. Slice the chicken and then take your hands (even though you’re strongly opposed to touching raw meat and you usually make your husband do it) and rub either pre packaged taco seasoning (our fave is the Trader Joe’s brand!) or your own Mexican blend seasoning (chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper) into the chicken. It really makes the flavor EXPLODE (in a good way of course) if you do this! But seriously though, look at the spice on that beauty.
Once all of your items are ready to go – TIME FOR BOWL ASSEMBLY!
I usually layer the quinoa on the bottom, and then the beans, next comes the veggies, last comes the chicken. And then inevitably I stir it all around anyway so what’s the point of layering to begin with.
Some great toppings for this include: sliced avocado, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, or cheese!
These bowls are easily customizable and you can make them vegetarian or vegan by foregoing the chicken!
Find the recipe below! Pair with some chips and salsa (because that’s a must) and enjoy my friends 🙂
Healthy Spicy Chicken Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 cup fresh white mushrooms
- 1/2 bell pepper
- 1 can black beans
- 1 handful cilantro
- 1 lime
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- taco seasoning
- 1/2 avocado (optional)
Instructions
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Start by prepping all of your ingredients. Cut 1/2 of a yellow onion into slices. Do the same thing with the yellow bell pepper and the mushrooms. Set aside.
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Slice chicken and add salt. Next, rub taco seasoning on each piece until they're fully covered. Set aside.
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Combine 1/2 cup of quinoa with 1 cup of water on the stovetop. Bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and let simmer for 15 minutes.
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Finely chop a handful of cilantro. Slice a lime in half. Add salt and pepper, the cilantro and the juice of half a lime to the pot of quinoa. Mix well.
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Add oil to a pan. Begin sautéing your onions and bell peppers. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook on medium heat for about 3 or so minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Once peppers and onions are cooked, add in the mushrooms. Cook for an additional 2 minutes or until caramelized. Remove from pan and set aside.
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Add oil to the same pan. Let the pan get hot and then add your chicken. Cook on each side for 3 minutes.
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While the chicken is cooking, open your can of black beans. Drain them, and then microwave them for a couple of minutes.
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Once all of your ingredients are done, begin building your bowls!
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Top with slices of avocado, salsa, guacamole, or sour cream. The sky is the limit with these guys!