Chicken Taco Bowl
Dive into a vibrant chicken taco bowl that’s bursting with flavor! This dish features tender marinated chicken served atop a bed of zesty cilantro lime rice, all drizzled with a smooth and creamy cilantro lime crema. It’s a fiesta in a bowl that’s as fun to make as it is to eat!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(12)
- ½ C finely chopped fresh cilantro (120 ml)
- ½ C fresh cilantro (120 ml)
- 1 tsp garlic, minced (or could use garlic powder) (5 ml)garlic powder
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Optional: 1/4 jalapeñooptional
- 1½ Tbsp fresh lime juice (22.5 ml)
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (15 ml)
- 1 tsp lime zest (5 ml)
- 4 Tbsp orange juice (60 ml)
- 1/2 tsp pepper (2.5 ml)
- red bell pepper (thinly sliced, sautéed with salt & pepper in a bit of avocado oil)
- 1½ cups water (360 ml)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon (5 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 1 C full fat greek yogurt (240 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- black beans (rinsed & drained)
- 1 C long-grain jasmine rice, rinsed and drained (240 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(7)
- 1½ Tbsp chili powder (22.5 ml)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder (1.25 ml)
- ¼ tsp onion powder (1.25 ml)
- 2 tsp dried oregano (10 ml)
- 2 tsp paprika (10 ml)
- 1 teaspoon salt (5 ml)
- ½ tsp salt (2.5 ml)
📦Other(2)
- 2 Tbsp mayo (30 ml)
- pickled onions (thinly sliced red onion, covered in lime juice & a pinch of salt then refrigerated for a couple of hours)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Add all ingredients for cilantro lime rice to a pot or rice cooker and cook rice as normal. Fluff and enjoy!
- 2
Marinate boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the chicken marinade for 1 hour to overnight. Grill or smoke the chicken until cooked through. Let rest and then chop into bite-sized pieces.
- 3
Blend all ingredients for cilantro lime crema, thinning with milk or water as needed to reach desired consistency.
- 4
Prepare pickled onions, sauté red bell pepper, and rinse and drain black beans.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Marinate chicken thighs for at least 1 hour but no more than 8-12 hours if using citrus in the marinade, since acids will begin denaturing surface proteins and turn the texture mushy beyond that window.timing1-12 hours max
- ✓Grill chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 165°F, then let rest for 5 minutes before chopping so juices redistribute rather than pooling out onto your cutting board.temperature165°F, 5 minutes rest
- ✓Toast the rice briefly in the cooking fat for 1-2 minutes before adding liquid so the starch granules' exterior seals, producing a firmer, less mushy grain once the cilantro lime rice is fluffed.technique1-2 minutes
- ✓Quick-pickle red onions in a 1:1 vinegar-to-water ratio with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt per cup of liquid, letting them sit for at least 30 minutes so osmosis draws out sharpness and replaces it with tang.ingredient1:1 ratio, 30 minutes
- ✓Thin the cilantro lime crema with milk or water in small 1-teaspoon increments while blending, since over-thinning is irreversible and the emulsion can break if too much liquid is added too fast.technique1 teaspoon increments
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Chicken Taco Bowl
Dive into a vibrant chicken taco bowl that’s bursting with flavor! This dish features tender marinated chicken served atop a bed of zesty cilantro lime rice, all drizzled with a smooth and creamy cilantro lime crema. It’s a fiesta in a bowl that’s as fun to make as it is to eat!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(12)
- ½ C finely chopped fresh cilantro (120 ml)
- ½ C fresh cilantro (120 ml)
- 1 tsp garlic, minced (or could use garlic powder) (5 ml)garlic powder
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Optional: 1/4 jalapeñooptional
- 1½ Tbsp fresh lime juice (22.5 ml)
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (15 ml)
- 1 tsp lime zest (5 ml)
- 4 Tbsp orange juice (60 ml)
- 1/2 tsp pepper (2.5 ml)
- red bell pepper (thinly sliced, sautéed with salt & pepper in a bit of avocado oil)
- 1½ cups water (360 ml)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 1 tsp chicken bouillon (5 ml)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 1 C full fat greek yogurt (240 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- black beans (rinsed & drained)
- 1 C long-grain jasmine rice, rinsed and drained (240 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(7)
- 1½ Tbsp chili powder (22.5 ml)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder (1.25 ml)
- ¼ tsp onion powder (1.25 ml)
- 2 tsp dried oregano (10 ml)
- 2 tsp paprika (10 ml)
- 1 teaspoon salt (5 ml)
- ½ tsp salt (2.5 ml)
📦Other(2)
- 2 Tbsp mayo (30 ml)
- pickled onions (thinly sliced red onion, covered in lime juice & a pinch of salt then refrigerated for a couple of hours)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Add all ingredients for cilantro lime rice to a pot or rice cooker and cook rice as normal. Fluff and enjoy!
- 2
Marinate boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the chicken marinade for 1 hour to overnight. Grill or smoke the chicken until cooked through. Let rest and then chop into bite-sized pieces.
- 3
Blend all ingredients for cilantro lime crema, thinning with milk or water as needed to reach desired consistency.
- 4
Prepare pickled onions, sauté red bell pepper, and rinse and drain black beans.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Marinate chicken thighs for at least 1 hour but no more than 8-12 hours if using citrus in the marinade, since acids will begin denaturing surface proteins and turn the texture mushy beyond that window.timing1-12 hours max
- ✓Grill chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 165°F, then let rest for 5 minutes before chopping so juices redistribute rather than pooling out onto your cutting board.temperature165°F, 5 minutes rest
- ✓Toast the rice briefly in the cooking fat for 1-2 minutes before adding liquid so the starch granules' exterior seals, producing a firmer, less mushy grain once the cilantro lime rice is fluffed.technique1-2 minutes
- ✓Quick-pickle red onions in a 1:1 vinegar-to-water ratio with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon salt per cup of liquid, letting them sit for at least 30 minutes so osmosis draws out sharpness and replaces it with tang.ingredient1:1 ratio, 30 minutes
- ✓Thin the cilantro lime crema with milk or water in small 1-teaspoon increments while blending, since over-thinning is irreversible and the emulsion can break if too much liquid is added too fast.technique1 teaspoon increments