Grilled Chicken Taco Bowls

Who doesn’t love a good taco? I can tell you I certainly do. The only issue I have with my tacos is that I fill them up with so many toppings, it falls apart after the first bite. So why not switch it up, and have a chicken taco/burrito bowl instead?

This is the perfect meal to prepare ahead of time, and throw together in a matter of 30 minutes. Next thing you know, you are serving a 5 star weeknight meal.

The beauty of this meal is that you can customize it however you desire. All of my favourite toppings are included below, and they are pretty delicious if I do say so myself.

Meal Prep

We all have busy lives. There is no doubt about it. But finding a little time to prepare our meals in advance can be super beneficial for a whole list of reasons. Peace out frozen pizza… All jokes aside, nobody’s perfect. You don’t need to prepare every single meal you will eat throughout the entirety of your week. But planning a meal the night before is definitely a nice feeling. Marinade your chicken. Prep your toppings. Throw some rice on when you are ready to put the meal together. Voila!

Cast Iron Skillet

Cast iron skillets help to ensure you do not miss barbecue season throughout the winter months! I use my skillet for so many different reasons. For burgers, chicken, naan bread, corn, egg frittata… The list goes on.

For this recipe in particular, I like to make my chicken sightly blackened and crispy with it, as well as using the skillet to char my frozen corn for the corn salsa. AKA no bbq FOMO:)

Build Your Own

If you are not one to eat chicken, or want to try something different out, try this meal with black beans instead!

Not in the mood for black beans either? Give shrimp a try!

If you want to skip the rice, add some extra lettuce and make it into a taco salad!

Some other great toppings that you could include are red onion, tomatoes, jalapeños, greek yogurt, regular salsa, etc.

Grilled Chicken Taco Bowls

Yield: 4-5 servings Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes

The Ultimate Bowl

• 1 cup uncooked white basmati rice
• Chicken (see below)
• Corn salsa (see below)
• Guacamole
• Shredded iceberg/romaine lettuce
• Mango or pineapple
• Feta or cheddar cheese
• Cilantro and lime wedges to top

Chicken

• 16 oz boneless skinless chicken breast (4 small-medium chicken breasts)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of three limes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt

*Make the night before or the morning of.

Prep

1. Add all ingredients except chicken to a bowl and mix together.
2. Add chicken breast and make sure marinade is coating all of the chicken.
3. Let sit in the fridge until meal time.

Grilled Corn Salsa

• 4 pieces of corn OR 1 1/2 cups frozen corn.
• 1-2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt & pepper (more to taste)
• Juice of 1 lime

*You can make this ahead of time or the time of meal. The longer the flavours sit together, the better.

Prep

1. Prep your corn by cooking in cast iron skillet on medium-high heat until nicely charred. (A few pieces may pop as the skillet gets heated, do not be alarmed!)
2. Add corn and all other ingredients to a medium bowl and mix to combine.
3. Place in fridge until ready to serve.

The Rest

1. When you are ready to throw everything together. Start by getting your rice all ready. (I use my rice cooker.)
2. Prepare all toppings including salsa (see above), guacomole, lettuce, cheese, mango, cilantro, and whatever else you may want to throw on top. Your bowl is your oyster:)
3. Heat skillet to high heat. Once skillet is hot, reduce heat to medium-high and add marinaded chicken breast along with all the marinade in the bowl. Cook chicken on each side for about 5 minutes.
4. After five minutes, I like to cut the chicken into thinner strips to finish the cooking on the inside. This also gives the chicken a more charred crispiness.
5. Cook for another 3-5 minutes.
6. Once the chicken is fully cooked through, you are ready to put your bowl together with your rice and all other toppings.
7. Make your bowl with your base of rice and/or lettuce, corn salsa, cooked chicken, and anything else you are thowing on top. Enjoy!