Marinated Grilled Chicken//Black Beans//Rice//Guacamole//Fresh Mexican Salad//Fajita Veggies//Yoghurt Lime + Coriander Crema//Burrito Sauce
This is the perfect burrito bowl. And that statement ought to be taken very seriously indeed. Very little saddens me more than when I get a meal, and it falls short of excellence simply because it could have used a little more salt, acidity, fresh vegetables, or flavour. It is an absolute travesty, in fact. For all it takes is a little more time, consideration, and possibly resources, and it yields a far greater amount of joy. Now, a burrito or burrito bowl must be the most sacred of meals. And yet, too often is its true potential not reached. My cooking and baking don’t fall into a niche category, such as adhering to a particular diet or cuisine, but the common thread which runs through all of my recipes is that which follows. I am on a personal crusade to share recipes with no flavour left behind in an effort to fight the noble fight in abolishing bland food from kitchens everywhere. To this end, this burrito bowl has everything in it that you would wish, and the specific flavours, quantities thereof, and methods of preparation have been determined with care. I feel that this recipe has the freshness aspect of a homemade meal, as well as the depth of flavour of a restaurant or takeout spot, which can oftentimes be elusive to replicate at home. It takes a fair amount of time to prepare, and is meant to be a treat. I recommend making it for movie nights with your friends—and I may also suggest that you pass on the salad preparation to one of your friends to make to ease the workload! I personally love to exploit mine in this way. You can also make the black beans the day before to break up the work, simply heating them up with a splash of water. The rice too, for that matter. But not the salad or guacamole of course, to avoid sogginess and change of flavour! I think that that’s everything that I wanted to say, and so I will just add that I hope that this little feast brings you and your loved ones so very much excitement and pleasure!
Recipe:
Makes 6-8 bowls, depending on serving size
Notes
I specify the type of salt used, as different salts are more or less salty than others. If you don’t have the same kind of salt used, be mindful of this and adjust accordingly. Generally speaking, pink Himalayan salt is less salty than most others.
You can turn this bowl into a burrito. Lightly heat the tortilla (in a dry pan), and add the fillings in the following order: rice, fajita veggies (if including), chicken, beans, cheese, salad, guacamole, sour cream, and sauces of choice. Wrap and lightly grill (using a panini press, or in a dry pan pan).
If you want to go all out, I suggest turning this into a California burrito by adding fries. Avoid placing them near the wet ingredients, which would cause sogginess.
The black beans are meant to be thick in consistency, for a beautiful richness.
The fajita veggies are optional, meaning that the bowl will still be delicious without them, however it’s of course best with them! My point in detailing this is that you can’t make the bowl without any of the other elements, as it would be incomplete, and the fajita veggies are an extra.
The longer chicken marinates, the more flavourful it gets! However, to be perfectly honest, the marinate is so flavourful that even if you can’t let the chicken marinate before grilling, and just make it immediately, it’ll still be delicious. So don’t stress about the time.
If you have one, I suggest grilling the chicken on a barbecue, as this will achieve the best char. I will do this in the dead of winter in Canada—it really is worth it!
The burrito sauce is my favourite. It’s so good that it makes for a great chip dip too.
The yoghurt lime + coriander crema is great with shrimp as well, and can otherwise be used in a plethora of dishes, including in slaws or as a dip.
The rice that I make with this burrito bowl isn’t Mexican rice. It’s creamy, made with plenty of chicken concentrate and butter. I like the contrast of the more neutral flavour of the rice with the spiced black beans, marinated chicken, etcetera. In other words, I feel that it provides a less dark contrast to the plate than Mexican rice would, specifically when paired with my recipes for the other bowl components. If the other components weren’t as bursting with flavour as they are, my stance would be different.
Marinated Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
1/4 cup tomato paste
165 g onion (this was 1/2 a large one for me)
3 large cloves garlic (or 4 normal)
1/4 cup fresh coriander, packed
zest of 2 limes
1/4 cup lime juice (this was 2 juicy limes for me)
1 tbsp salt (pink Himalayan)
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp Nandos hot sauce (substitute as you wish)
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar (or other equivalent sweetener)
4 chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise (to increase the surface area for grilling)
Instructions
Blend all ingredients except the chicken in a blender until smooth.
You are now going to reserve three small portions of the marinate for later use. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinate in a small bowl—this will be mixed with the cooked chicken to re-vamp it. If you’re making the fajita veggies, reserve a further 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp in a separate small bowl. In a final small bowl, reserve a further 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp of the marinate for the burrito sauce. Pour the remaining marinate into a bowl or container, with the chicken, and let sit in the fridge for a few hours, overnight, or even (preferably!) for 2-3 days, until ready to cook. Note that if you don’t have time to marinate it, it’ll still be delicious. This said, if you make it before the other components of the meal, and let it marinate while you prepare them, that’ll be more than enough.
Cook the chicken over high heat on the barbecue, with the lid up, about 4 minutes on the first side, and 2-3 on the second side, depending on the strength of your barbecue. You want to get a decent char on it. Alternatively, cook on a grill pan (over high heat) with some olive oil to prevent sticking, or as a last resort in a pan with some olive oil, trying to get some colour. The stovetop methods may take a little more cooking time, so adjust accordingly, based on the colour.
Place the cooked chicken on a cutting board. Cut it into strips or pieces, as desired. Transfer the chicken to a mixing bowl, and add in your reserved 1/4 cup of the marinate. Mix.
Serve warm.
Black Beans
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large (or 4 normal sized) cloves of garlic, minced
3 398 ml cans black beans (no salt added; liquid included)
1 1/2 tsp salt (pink Himalayan)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp powdered coriander
2 tsp dried oregano leaves (not powdered)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp Nandos hot sauce (or an equivalent; can substitute 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper)
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add in the black beans with their liquids and stir.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir.
Increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Stir.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 50 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally, or until the liquid has absorbed. Some brands of beans can require up to 20 minutes more cook-time, until a thick consistency is reached. Note: I like the black beans to be a little broken up. Some brands of black beans do this naturally, whilst others hold intact. When I’m using black beans that stay perfectly intact, I will take a potato masher and lightly mash the black beans at the end of cooking to break some of them up.
Serve warm.
Rice
Ingredients
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups Uncle Ben’s Rice (converted long grain)
3 cups water
2 tbsp + 1/4 tsp chicken concentrate (*see note below)
3/4 tsp salt (pink Himalayan)
Instructions
*Chicken concentrate is a thick paste of sorts, that is meant to be added to water to form a bouillon. It’s quite salty. If you can’t find it in stores, then you can replace the water with chicken bouillon (don’t use low-sodium, or sodium-free). You will need to taste the rice when it’s ready and add a touch of salt if necessary, as these products may vary in their sodium levels of course.
Melt butter in a pot over medium heat.
When the butter is bubbling, add in the rice. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, taking care to not burn the rice.
Add in the remaining ingredients, beginning with the water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Stir, reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, and leave for 5 more minutes with the lid on.
Fluff with a fork and serve warm.
Salad
Ingredients
515 g tomato, small dice (this was 4 medium for me)
435 g green pepper, small dice (this was 2 medium for me)
265 g red pepper, small dice (this was 2 small for me)
400 g/2 1/2 cups corn (note: fresh corn, be it boiled or cooked in a pan, is preferable. Frozen corn that has been thawed may also be used. Be sure to fully thaw it, as if the corn is put in frozen, the water released during the thawing process will water down and ruin the salad. Top tip: to quickly thaw frozen corn, put it in a sieve and run hot water over it from the tap. Note that the amount of corn called for does not include ice; in other words, the weight is not from frozen.)
140 g avocado, diced (this was 1 medium for me)
1/2 cup fresh coriander, packed, medium chop
3 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
170 g red onion, small dice (this was 1/2 of a medium one for me)
1/2-1 jalapeño, to taste, small dice
1/2 cup olive oil
zest of 3 limes
1/2 cup lime juice (if you like it super sharp, feel free to add another 1-2 tbsp)
1 tbsp salt (pink Himalayan)
Instructions
Mix all of the ingredients together. Note that if you’re not going to eat the salad rather soon, wait to mix the red onion in until you’re ready to serve it. This is because the juices will lend a strong onion flavour to the salad if they sit in it for a lengthy period of time.
Chill until ready to serve.
Fajita Veggies
Ingredients
1/3 cup olive oil
330 g green pepper, medium slice (this was 2 small for me)
430 g red pepper, medium slice (this was 2 medium for me)
330 g red onion, medium slice (this was 1 large for me)
reserved marinate from chicken, previously set aside (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp)
1/2 + 1/4 tsp salt (pink Himalayan)
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
Add in the vegetables, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they soften and take on some colour, about 15 minutes. All stoves are different, so feel free to increase or decrease heat as needed.
Add in sauce and salt, stir, and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring often.
Serve warm.
Guacamole
Ingredients
470 g avocado (this was 3 medium for me)
1/2 - 1 tbsp jalapeño, small dice, to taste
1 small tomato (about 1/2 cup), small dice
2 tbsp fresh coriander, packed, finely chopped
2 tbsp red onion, small dice
1/4 cup lime juice (this was 2 juicy limes for me)
2 1/4 tsp salt (pink Himalayan)
Instructions
Mash the avocados with a fork in a bowl.
Mix in the remaining ingredients.
Chill until ready to serve.
Burrito Sauce
Ingredients
2 cups sour cream
reserved marinate from chicken, previously set aside (1/4 cup + 1 tbsp)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 + 1/8 tsp cumin
1/4 + 1/8 tsp powdered coriander
1 1/4 tsp salt (pink Himalayan)
1/2 tsp adobo sauce (can include chilis)
Instructions
Blend all ingredients together in a blender. Option to omit the adobo sauce if you dislike smoky flavours. Note that the amount called for will lend a subtle smokiness to the sauce.
Chill until ready to serve.
Yoghurt Lime + Coriander Crema
Ingredients
2 cups plain yoghurt
zest of 1 lime
2 tbsp lime juice (this was 1 juicy lime for me)
2 tbsp coriander, packed, finely chopped
1 medium garlic clove, crushed
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 tsp salt (to taste; pink Himalayan)
Instructions
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
Chill until ready to serve.
Additional Toppings
Tex mex shredded cheese
Sour cream
Fresh coriander, chopped (optional)
Jalapeño, small dice or sliced (optional)
Limes, quartered (optional)
Bowl Assembly
Portion rice, black beans, chicken, fajita veggies, salad, and guacamole as desired (I do next to each other) in a bowl.
Top the hot items with cheese, to melt.
Put a dollop of sour cream in the centre.
Spoon or drizzle the burrito sauce overtop. Do the same with the yoghurt lime + coriander crema, or serve it on the side. It’s quite sharp, and this is why I offer the on-the-side option.
Top with fresh coriander and jalapeño, as well as a quarter of a lime, if desired.
Enjoy!
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