One Pot Burrito Bowl

I love this recipe not just for its flavor, but for its simplicity and versatility. I love Tex-Mex (providing it’s not too spicy)!  But this recipe can be adapted to what ever ingredients you have on hand. And a one pot dish equals easy clean up!!!

I’m sure there are similar recipes all over the net.  But I want to show you that you don’t have to follow this recipe precisely to come up with a delicious dinner (except for the rice to liquid ratio).

If you don’t have chicken breast, use thighs or even turkey tenderloins.  You can use ground beef or turkey.  You can add other veggies like bell peppers when you cook the onion.  What more spice, use tomato with chili’s instead.  So on and so forth! Feel free to get creative!

First though,  you’ll want to brown your meat in a little olive oil.  If using chicken, I recommend doing it in batches so you brown it instead of steam it.  If using ground meat, you may have to drain any extra grease.

Next sauté your onions (and bell pepper if using) until golden.  Add garlic and cook until just fragrant.

Toast your rice in the pan. You don’t want to skip this next step; it does something for the taste and texture.  Don’t brown it.. just lightly cook it over medium heat until the grains start to turn white.

Add taco seasoning, tomatoes, broth, and corn.  Bring to a boil  Reduce heat and simmer until done.  Now I usually use the standard long grain rice which takes about 20-30 minutes to cook, but you could probably substitute minute rice by altering your measurements according to your package.

When your rice is tender, add the beans and heat through.  Serve and top with cheese and any other desired toppings!

Again, feel free to make this recipe your own as you can substitute, add, or subtract almost any of the ingredients listed.  Hmm.. I’m wondering if it would work with quinoa or cauliflower rice.  It’s also a great place to hide other veggies (bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, etc.)!  Shh…  Don’t tell Lil’D or R.  ; )

Chicken Burrito Bowl – Gluten Free

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs chicken breast or thighs, boneless skinless, cubed
• 1 pkg taco seasoning or homemade
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup rice
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (with or without green chilis)
• 2 cups chicken broth (or bouillon equivalent)
• 1 can corn, drained or frozen package
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 cup cheddar or favorite shredded cheese

Optional toppings:

• tomato, diced
• onion, diced
• green onion, sliced
• avocado, diced
• sour cream
• guacamole
• salsa
• crumbled tortilla chips

Instructions

• Brown cubed chicken in a large pot with a little olive oil.  Do this in batches so as to not over crowd the pan.  (This would steam the chicken instead of brown it.)   Add more olive oil as needed.
• Sautee onion in olive oil till onions are slightly golden.  Add garlic and cook only till fragrant.
• Next add rice and toast in olive oil until the grains turn white.  (This is will only take a few minutes.)
• Add seasoning, tomatoes, corn and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover.  Cook until rice is tender.  Add black beans and heat through.
• Serve and top with cheese and any of your other favorite toppings.