Chicken Verde Burrito Bowls

Love burritos, but not all the carbs in the tortillas? Here's an easy solution to provide your family with both options, burritos or bowls. Burrito bowls… like Chipotle… cheaper too! Can be prepared in a slow cooker or on the stove top if you don’t want to turn on the oven!

Chicken Verde Burrito Bowls

Yield: 6 – 8 servings

Ingredients:

Chicken Verde:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3– 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar (10 ounces) green chili enchilada sauce
1 jar (16 ounces) salsa, Roasted Verde or mild red
1 can (4 ounces) mild green chilies
1 tablespoon Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ lime, zested & juiced

Beans:

2 cans black beans, drained
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cloves garlic, minced or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Rice:

1 ¼ cups white or brown rice
2 ½ cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ lime, zested & juiced
¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Topping ingredients:
16 ounce package frozen corn
3 tomatoes, chopped
Salsa of choice
Fresh cilantro leaves
2 cups Mexican cheese, shredded
Lime wedges
Salsa
Lettuce, chopped
Sour cream, if desired

Equipment needed:

Dry and liquid measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Chef knife
Cutting board
Microplane zester
Citrus juicer
5 quart Dutch oven or large pot
Rubber spatula
Paring knife
2 quart saucepan
1 ½ quart saucepan

I love this recipe as it can be made ahead and baked all day in a low oven if needed. My daughter, Hannah, originally introduced me to this meal, but since then I have tweeked it a bit. This recipe is simple in that it uses many ready to use items and basic cooking skills. It can certainly feed a crowd if you want too! Of course starting by prepping all the ingredients allows you to pretty much… Throw together in no time.

Preheat oven to 250 F for 5+ hours or 325 F for 2 ½ hours. (Slow cooker: 6 - 7 hours on low, 3 - 4 on high)

Every dish I cook always seems to start with sautéing onions and garlic. I love the aroma that fills the kitchen and the flavor it gives the food! After you have the onions chopped and garlic minced, heat your Dutch oven on medium heat with olive oil for ~ 5 minutes. Add onions and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes or until onions have softened.

While onions are sautéing, zest and juice the lime. It is easier to zest the whole lime before cutting. If you will be making the rice later, half the rind and the remaining juice will not be wasted… saves prep time too. I usually zest over plastic wrap or waxed paper as it makes it easier to transfer the rind to the pan later.

Add the enchilada sauce, chilies & green salsa to the Dutch oven and stir well. Next, add the lime zest and juice, as well as the seasonings to the mixture. Continue to leave stove temperature on low to heat ingredients.

I love the flavor of fresh jalapeño in almost every Hispanic dish I prepare. My hubby doesn't enjoy the heat as much as I do, so sometimes I add only half and save the remainder to add to my food individually before eating. If you are using a fresh jalapeño in your recipe, you will need to remove the seeds before chopping them. I again use a piece of waxed paper to prevent the oils and juices from the pepper from penetrating my cutting board and flavoring everything else I cook for days. Using a paring knife cut the pepper in half. Then scrape the seeds and white veins from the core. Slice pepper vertically into about 4 -5 slices and then turn pepper and chop finely. If you didn't care about the extra heat, you can leave the white veins. Be careful after you touch the pepper, as rubbing your eyes will definitely get your attention … oils = heat and burn! Add chopped pepper into pot and stir well. If you want more heat you can always add another jalapeño or other peppers of choice.

Now nestle the chicken into the liquid so it is barely covered, as shown above. Cover your Dutch oven and place in a preheated oven. If you are planning on allowing the dish to cook all day, use a lower 250 F temperature. If eating sooner, raise temperature to 325 – 350 F and bake for 2 – 2 ½ hours. (Many people will ask if a slow cooker will work too. It will, but I find the end result a bit runny. Allow the slow cooker to vent and allow excess steam to escape.) Cooking in the oven allows some of the liquid to evaporate, resulting in a juicy pulled chicken product.

After chicken has cooked in the verde sauce, the result will be browned and the aroma fabulous! Test the chicken to be sure it is fall apart tender. Using two forks, pull chicken into shreds being sure not to miss a breast in the process. The juices will combine with the shredded meat to create a saucy mixture… ready for a burrito or bowl.

*** Now, when your meat is cooking and you are about an hour from dinner, start your other meal accompaniments. Beans, rice and garnishes are next!

Start the rice first, as it will take ~ 20 minutes for white rice and 40 minutes for brown. Measure rice, water and salt. Pour water and salt into 2 quart saucepan, then add rice and stir well. Rice to water ratio is important. If using white rice, it's a two part water to one part rice, where brown rice is 1 cup rice to 2 ½ cup water ratio. Either way will yield about 3 cups rice. Bring white rice and water to a simmer and maintain a low simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and allow rice to set for ~ 5 – 8 minutes more, then fluff. Brown rice takes longer as you have the bran to cook through. Same procedure as white rice, except simmer for 35 – 38 minutes and rest for ~ 10 more.

While rice is cooking, finely chop about ¼ cup of fresh cilantro. Don't make pieces too large as they will will not be appealing in the dish and too chunky. Add lime zest and juice with cilantro and stir well. Cover and leave off heat until ready to eat. Rice can be reheated if needed.

To prepare the beans, open cans and drain well. Measure cumin and mince garlic. Place beans in 1 ½ quart saucepan, along with the cumin and garlic. Place over medium low heat and allow to simmer for ~ 15 minutes or until garlic is no longer visible. As the garlic cooks, it will yellow and not be as visible when you stir the beans. it is perfectly fine to substitute garlic powder too! Season as desired with a prince of kosher salt and a dash of cayenne pepper, if desired.

As beans and rice cook, you can finished assembling remaining ingredients. Chop tomatoes into ½ inch cubes. Use a sharp chef knife or a serrated one works well without crushing the tomato as you slice it. Tear the leaves off the stems of the cilantro. Chop the lettuce and slice a few lime wedges if desired. Extra salsa on top of the burrito or bowl is also added flavor and meal appeal. Here you can offer a hot to mild variety to satisfy all taste buds. If using frozen corn, microwave to heat through for about 4 – 5 minutes. Warm your tortillas. I always offer tortilla chips for dipping in bowls as well. I create an assembly line on the counter for everyone's convenience. Too many bowls for passing at a table I feel.

There really isn't a format for creating a burrito bowl. I start with rice on the bottom, then layer meat, beans, corn and then the toppings you desire… or layer it in a large tortilla and roll it up too. Garnish with salsa and fresh cilantro… Enjoy!