Category Archives: Chicken

Best Burrito Bowls Ever

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So, the internet is filled with a plethora of copycat recipes for everyone’s favorite chain burrito restaurant. I’ve even made my own version before. Those were good. But these… these are better. Mucho better.

Dare I say… even better than Chipotle? Different, for sure. But better? It depends on what you’re after. [Let me tell you now... you want to be after this.]

If you’re after light, fluffy, airy brown cilantro-lime rice, then stick around. Yes,brown cilantro-lime rice!! This rice is prepared in a slightly different fashion than regular brown rice so it isn’t thick and gummy. It’s boiled, then steamed. A little butter, cilantro, lime juice, and garlic stirred in makes a knockoff winner.

If you’re after the typical burrito bowl mix-ins like spicy chicken, filling black beans, salsa, cheese, and sour cream, then stick around. You can have them! I promise. I know they’re a necessity. If chicken isn’t your thing, sub beef or pork or tofu, or even add extra black beans instead. Don’t limit yourself to the norm though. Try some corn, red bell pepper, avocado, and baby spring mix in there too–they won’t bite.

And lastly… if you want to top this full bowl with a bit of cilantro, be my guest.

As long as it is cilantro chutney, aka my new favorite way to enjoy cilantro, that is! Cilantro chutney can be whipped up in a couple minutes and is an out of this world dressing delight. It’s smooth, tangy, and spicy all at once. A savory and unconventional condiment to which I am now fully addicted. I may or may not have consumed nearly a quarter of the batch by the spoonful. Whoops.

I know this post might be overwhelming. The recipe might be long. The rice may be cooked in a new way. But please, do yourself a favor, and enjoy this for dinner at your earliest convenience. [That should be now.]

Don’t you see? Sometimes different is better. Right? Yes, right.

The end. :)

Best Burrito Bowls Ever
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Ingredients:

for cilantro-lime rice [adapted slightly from with a Side of Sneakers]

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder

for cilantro chutney [adapted slightly from Genesis Winter's comment on this post]

  • 1 1/2 cups packed cilantro leaves, rinsed
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 2 pinches garlic salt

for chicken

for serving

  • baby spring mix
  • perfect black beans
  • corn
  • chopped avocado
  • chopped red bell pepper
  • shredded pepperjack cheese
  • salsa
  • sour cream

Directions:

Begin by making the rice. Bring a large stockpot to boil. Then add rice and boil, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Yes, you read that right. While the rice is boiling, make the chutney.

Combine cilantro, onion, and lime juice in a food processor or blender. Pulse until well combined. Then remove to jar or small bowl and stir in cayenne pepper and garlic salt. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

Next, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and taco seasoning and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Turn off heat, then cover and set aside.

When the rice has cooked for 40 minutes, turn off heat and drain rice [don't worry about draining all the water, but get most of it out]. Return rice to pot, add butter, then cover and let sit off heat for 10 minutes to steam. Stir in cilantro, lime juice, and garlic powder.

Serve up! I layered baby spring mix, rice, black beans, chicken, corn, avocado, red bell pepper, and pepperjack cheese, then topped with a little salsa and sour cream, and a lot of cilantro chutney. Amazing!

Time: 60 minutes [20 minutes active].

Yield: 4 servings.

Pineapple-Apricot Teryaki Chicken

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I used to turn my nose up at dark meat. Chicken, turkey, whatever. I’ll stick with white meat. At Thanksgiving, I’m all about the side dishes anyway. But then I got married. To a meat lover. I quickly realized that the large package of chicken that would have lasted single me all month now lasts a much shorter time. Then I also realized how expensive buying boneless skinless chicken breasts exclusively is. So I decided to be brave, be bold… and embrace the dark meat! Guess what–it isn’t that bad. It’s less expensive and *gasp* actually pretty good. Especially when you pair it with fruity, tangy sauces and marinades, like this Pineapple-Apricot Teryaki sauce that I adapted from Beth at Budget Bytes.

This pineapple-apricot teryaki sauce is definitely sweeter and fruitier than your average teryaki sauce… not authentic by any means. But we loved it paired with the hearty, complex flavor of dark meat chicken thighs. [I do try to buy boneless skinless because it's just easier.] A perfect early-spring dinner, if I do say so myself.

And word to the wise… if you enjoy eating sauces by the spoonful… make a double batch of this sauce. Trust me. No chicken necessary. :)

Pineapple-Apricot Teryaki Chicken [from Budget Bytes]
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Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup apricot preserves
  • 1/4 cup crushed pineapple, undrained
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place chicken thighs on baking sheet.

In a small bowl, whisk together apricot preserves, pineapple, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and cornstarch. Reserve about 1/3 cup sauce in a separate bowl. Brush half of the rest of the sauce over the chicken thighs.

Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush on the second half of the sauce [not the 1/3 cup reserved]. Place back in the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve over spinach and rice or Israeli couscous, being sure to spoon the reserved sauce over each piece.

Time: 35 minutes [5 minutes active].

Yield: 4 servings.

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

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So, almost immediately after pinning this awesome looking recipe for Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken, Tina commented on my pin with her rave reviews. I knew it looked good, but hearing how fabulous it was made it even more appealing. But what about this recipe made it so wonderful, when I hadn’t even tasted it?

Was it the combination of garlic and ginger? Honey and soy sauce? Toasted sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes? Or [gasp] even the ketchup and canola oil and onion?

I’m not sure. Does it even really matter, though? I’m not sure it does.

Simple ingredients come together to make something fantastic in this Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken. And the best part is that it only takes four hours to cook in the crock pot. [Side note: I despise calling a crock pot a "slow cooker." It sounds so... ugh... to me. Hence the name change.]

Ben loves anything Asian-inspired, so you can be sure that this was a huge hit in our house. The flavors are just the right amount of sweetness and kick, but feel free to add more spice if that’s your thing. This is a must make, so if you’ve been thinking about it… go for it! Enjoy!

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken [adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff and Foodie with Family]
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Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • black pepper
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup onion, minced
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup of water
  • hot cooked rice, for serving
  • steamed broccoli, for serving
  • sesame seeds, for serving

Directions:

Season chicken thighs with black pepper and lay in bottom of crock pot.

In a medium bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, canola oil, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour mixture over chicken thighs and flip chicken to coat. Cook on low for 4 hours, then remove chicken to a plate.

In a second bowl, combine cornstarch with water until dissolved. Then pour into liquid in crock pot, return chicken, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until thick.

Break up chicken with two forks, then serve over hot cooked rice with steamed broccoli. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, then enjoy.

Lime Chicken Rice Bake

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Maybe it’s because I’m from Indiana, maybe it’s because I’m sorta lazy and am not always the biggest fan of making a main dish and several sides to complete a meal, but the truth is… I’m a big fan of casseroles and other one-dish meals. Not the kind with random cream-of …. soups or mystery meat or canned vegetables drowning in salt water. But the kind with fresh ingredients and tons of flavor from herbs and spices. Like this Lime Chicken Rice Bake that I created on a whim one night when I was trying to use up some leftover rice and black beans.

The punch of flavor in this dish comes from limes and chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, which I keep in a small container in my freezer. An unexpected ingredient–pumpkin–gives this dish a bit of creaminess without adding tons of fat and calories. We enjoyed this for dinner several times on it’s own and also remade into nachos another night. Any way you serve it, Lime Chicken Rice Bake is a warm, comforting dish that is healthy, sure to please, and will certainly make you rethink your opinion of casseroles for good!

Lime Chicken Rice Bake
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Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1 3/4 cup black beans/15 ounce can, rinsed and drained
  • 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, chopped and 1-2 tablespoon adobe sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/2 cup skim milk
  • 1 tablespoon lime balm, chopped [or zest of 1 lime]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spay. In a large bowl, stir together rice, beans, tomatoes, pumpkin, chicken, corn, and 1/2 cup cheese. In a smaller bowl, whisk together chipotle peppers and adobe sauce, garlic, oregano, lime juice, milk, and lime balm/zest. Stir this mixture into the rice mixture then spread into casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until hot. Then remove from oven and top with last 1/2 cup of cheese. Return to oven and cook for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Time: 35 minutes [10 minutes active].

Yield: 8 servings.

Crockpot Saucy Italian Chicken

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I have a love-hate relationship with my crockpot. On the one hand, it is might convenient for whipping up a delicious dinner in a flash, with little to no effort on my part. On the other hand, leaving a hot appliance [yes, even on the low setting it gets h-o-t] on all day on a kitchen counter within easy reach of the cat makes me nervous. I have a fear of fire and just get concerned. Using the crockpot also seems like an easy out sometimes, since it’s not “real” cooking. But alas. Sometimes, I put my fears to rest and pull out the crockpot for, dare I say, a quick and easy dinner.

crockpot saucy italian chicken

My Crockpot Saucy Italian Chicken, despite how the taste may make you believe, was not the work of hours slaving away in the kitchen, pouring over complicated recipes. Rather, it was mixing pantry ingredients, spices, herbs, and chicken in the crockpot and hoping for the best. And boy–was it the best! I didn’t exactly use a specific recipe. I had some chicken thighs that I had previously frozen that needed to be used up, so I googled “chicken thigh crockpot recipes.” Problem was, many of those recipes used things like powdered onion soup mix, Italian dressing, and/or other packaged seasoning mixes that I certainly did not keep on hand, as the recipe creator assumed everyone did.

So, I thought about the flavors I was looking for and decided to wing it. The result was a flavorful blend of Italian-seasoned chicken simmering all day in a tomato sauce with olives, peppers, and onions. Right before dinnertime, cook up some noodles or rice for serving. You’ll know it’s time to do this when the smell is just so intoxicating that it gets to you and causes you to open the lid and take a big spoonful [even though you aren't really supposed to open the lid of a crockpot early]. At this point, the chicken will be so tender that it falls apart with the touch of a spoon. The smell alone should be enough to get the family to the dinner table, so don’t hesitate. Make this today!

Crockpot Saucy Italian Chicken
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Ingredients:

  • 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, drained
  • 1 small bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • prepared pasta or rice, for serving
  • parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:

Place tomatoes in a large crockpot. Using a dinner knife, cut each tomato in half. Add tomato paste, olives, pepper, onion, garlic, and herbs/spices. Stir to combine. Lay chicken out evenly over tomato mixture and stir to coat. Cook for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Serve over pasta or rice.

Time: maximum of 8 hours and 15 minutes [15 minutes active]

Yield: 8 generous servings.