Chicken burrito bowls make for a fantastic, filling lunch or a quick and easy dinner packed with flavor.
Ordering a chicken burrito bowl from Chipotle can be an expensive option. So, consider making a chicken burrito bowl at home!
Meal prep for a chicken burrito bowl is simple. Cook the chicken breast, rice, and vegetables, then divide them evenly between four bowls.
Store the salad and toppings separately, and you'll have four portions of freshly prepared chicken burrito bowls. You can also substitute the ingredients.
This could be a great option for dinner after a long day at work and when you meal prep in advance, it's easy to pull it all together.
It's time to get down to the specifics of preparing for the bowls. And I'll also share some healthy substitutions for your burrito bowl.
How To Meal Prep A Chicken Burrito Bowl
Chicken burrito bowls borrow flavors from traditional Mexican dishes. Packed with protein, vegetables, and rice, chicken burrito bowls are tasty and nutritious.
Use fresh ingredients with the chicken, such as romaine lettuce, sweet corn, and more. You can serve your chicken burrito bowl with a plate of cilantro lime cauliflower rice. Add a lime wedge, some black pepper, and adobo sauce, if you like.
The chicken burrito bowls found at local fast-food restaurants often contain a high amount of added sodium, sugars, and additives, and are more expensive than making them at home.
Ingredients
The ingredients for a chicken burrito bowl are simple, and you will find all of them at your local grocery store.
Ingredients to make four chicken burrito bowls:
- 1 large red onion cut into slices
- 3 bell peppers cut into slices
- 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 3 cups of cooked rice
- 1 jar of salsa (want to make your own salsa? Try a cucumber salsa or this delicious avocado tomato salsa)
- 1 can of corn
- 1 can of black beans
- 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro (also known as coriander)
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Feel free to substitute these ingredients to suit your tastes. Other recipes call for guacamole and sour cream to top your chicken burrito rice bowl.
Preparing the bowls
To make your chicken burrito bowl, coat the chicken with taco seasoning and cut it into strips. Then, cook the chicken until done and allow it to cool. While the chicken cools, sauté the onions and green peppers. Then, divide all the ingredients into four portions.
Prepare your chicken burrito bowl as follows:
- First, scoop the rice into a Tupperware container, followed by the chicken, sautéed vegetables, beans, and corn.
- Then, sprinkle some cheese over the mixture.
- Next, cut the lime into quarters and place one quarter in the container.
Use separate containers for the cold ingredients, including salsa (or pico de gallo), guacamole, sour cream, and cilantro.
When ready to eat the chicken burrito bowl, heat the first container in the microwave. Then, pour the toppings from the second container over the warm chicken and rice, and you're ready to eat.
How Long Do Chicken Burrito Bowls Last?
The recipe above makes four portions of chicken burrito bowls, which is almost enough for an entire workweek’s lunches.
By following the instructions above and separating the toppings from the chicken mixture, your chicken burrito bowls can last up to four days in the refrigerator.
The topping ingredients are fresh; once cut, they don't last as long. Therefore, we recommend preparing them every two days so they stay fresh. Add lemon juice to the guacamole to keep it from turning brown.
If you want, you can prepare a bigger batch of rice, chicken, and vegetables. Keep four portions in the refrigerator and portion and freeze the rest. These chicken burrito bowls can last up to three months in the freezer. However, you must freeze them in airtight containers to prevent freezer burn.
When ready for the frozen chicken burrito bowls, take them out of the freezer and let them thaw at room temperature. Then, make the toppings fresh and prepare your chicken burrito bowl as you normally would.
The recipe we shared comes to about 1165 calories per portion. While this is much less than buying a chicken burrito bowl from a fast-food restaurant, it may still be too many calories for those on a calorie-restricted diet. As such, you may wonder if there are any substitutions you can make that will reduce the calories of your chicken burrito bowl.
Substitutions For A Lower Calorie Bowl
Although the recipe we shared above makes a delicious chicken burrito bowl, it's possible that you feel like this bowl still has too many calories. Fortunately, you can make a few substitutions to reduce the calories in a chicken burrito bowl.
The first substitution is to make your own salsa and taco seasoning. Ready-made sauces and seasonings often contain hidden calories from sugars and fillers. By making your own salsa and taco seasoning, you have complete control of the ingredients added to the food.
Another substitution you can make is to replace the rice with cauliflower rice or buckwheat. Both these options are lower in calories than rice. For a fiber-filled substitution, use brown rice instead of white rice or a mixture of rice and quinoa.
Don't add too much salt to the rice or chicken to limit your sodium intake, and omit the corn if you want to cut the calories even more. You can remove the cheddar cheese altogether or substitute it for a low-fat option if you like.
Finally, you can replace the sour cream with plain or Greek yogurt to reduce the dish's fat content and total calories.
These are some simple substitutions you can make for a healthier and more calorie-conscious chicken burrito bowl. These substitutions can also be kept in the refrigerator for four days or frozen for three months.
Tips
Here are some additional tips to help you with your delicious chicken burrito bowls.:
- Keep your prepped items in an airtight container
- Always date your meal prep so you know how long it's been in the fridge
- Purple meal prep containers to make it easier
- Use disposable meal prep containers if bringing them back home is an issue
- Replace ground chicken with ground beef if you can't eat chicken
- Use ground turkey if you want a healthier option to chicken
- Use a slow cooker to really bring out the flavors in your meats
Every chicken recipe is not the same and every burrito bowl will not be the same, but hopefully, this has given you some great ideas to help you prepare these at home.
Are you ready to start prepping a solid dose of healthy carbs and protein bowl?
