Rice · Tested twice

Chipotle Chicken Rice Bowl

Name: Chipotle Chicken Rice Bowl
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 bowls
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice; Zest and juice of 1 lime; 1/4 cup chopped cilantro; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 1/2 lb boneless chicken thighs; 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced; 1 tablespoon adobo sauce; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 tablespoon olive oil; Salt and black pepper; 2 cups frozen corn; 1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed; 1 red onion, diced; 1 avocado, sliced; 1/2 cup sour cream; Juice of 1/2 lime; 2 cups tortilla chips, lightly crushed

Everything here holds well in the fridge, which makes it the bowl to build when you want four dinners out of one cook. Assemble it hot tonight and cold tomorrow.

12 minPrep

18 minCook

4Bowls

640Cal / bowl*

The five layers

How this bowl is put together, bottom to top.

BaseLime cilantro rice

ProteinChipotle chicken

VegetableCharred corn and black beans

SauceLime crema

CrunchTortilla strips

Method

Cook the rice according to the package. Once done, fork through the lime zest, juice, cilantro and salt while it is still hot so it absorbs.
Toss the chicken thighs with the chipotle, adobo, cumin, oil, salt and pepper. Ten minutes of marinating while the rice cooks is enough.
Heat a skillet over medium-high and cook the chicken 6 to 7 minutes per side, until charred at the edges and 165 degrees F at the thickest point. Rest 5 minutes, then slice.
In the same pan, char the frozen corn over high heat for 5 minutes without stirring much, until blistered in spots. Add the black beans and onion for 1 minute to warm through.
Stir the sour cream with the lime juice and a pinch of salt.
Build each bowl: rice, then chicken, then the corn and bean mixture, then avocado, crema, and crushed tortilla chips added at the very last moment.

Swap any layerLime cilantro riceBrown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice
Chipotle chickenChipotle-spiced black beans or roasted sweet potato
Charred cornRoasted peppers or zucchini
Lime cremaPlain yogurt with lime, or salsa verde
Tortilla stripsToasted pepitas or crumbled cotija

The bit that matters

Add the crunch layer at the table, never in the kitchen. Tortilla chips go soft within about two minutes of meeting warm rice, and in a meal-prep container they should be packed separately or left out entirely until serving.

*Approximately 640 calories per bowl. Calories are an estimate from standard ingredient databases; actual values vary by brand and portion. See our disclaimer.