Chicken burrito bowls with black beans, kale, salsa, and brown rice. A super easy meal prep recipe from my cookbook, The Quintessential Kale Cookbook.
We’re adding kale to a burrito bowl?! What has the world come to?
In all honesty, I add leafy greens to most of my meals, regardless of what it is. I find they are easy to toss into just about everything and I enjoy the fiber and vitamin punch they pack.
This chicken burrito bowls recipe comes straight out of my cookbook, The Quintessential Kale Cookbook. It is one of my favorite recipes from the book because it is so easy to prepare and covers all of our essential nutritional bases.
Plus, it requires minimal time and effort to prepare! You can even make each part of the recipe in advance and use it as inspiration for meal prep. It makes for easy weeknight eating and is a great meal for work lunches.
How to Make Chicken Burrito Bowls:
Begin by baking the chicken and steaming the rice. Add the chicken, oil, spices and sea salt to a zip lock bag and seal the bag. Give it a shake to distribute the oil and seasonings. You can bake the chicken immediately, but it’s best if you can marinate it prior to cooking. If you have the time, refrigerate 15 minutes, up to 8 hours, to marinate.
Bake the chicken at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
Once the chicken is cooked through, allow it to rest at least 10 minutes on a cutting board to allow the juices to distribute throughout the meat. This will help keep the chicken nice and moist!
Steam the rice while the chicken is cooking.
While both the chicken and rice are cooking, prepare your bowl essentials. Sauté the kale, whip up the guacamole and salsa, and heat up the black beans. If you’re doing the cheese, grate up your cheese!
My favorite guacamole recipes are my Easy Classic Guacamole Recipe, Bacon Guacamole with Cotija, and Roasted Jalapeno and Mango Guacamole.
To be quite honest, I usually use store-bought salsa (pico de gallo is great!), but you can also prepare your own salsa for the bowls. You can pull any of the salsa recipes out of my archives to use as inspiration!
Recipe Adaptations:
- Buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store instead of baking chicken to cut down on prep time.
- Omit black beans if you don’t do legumes.
- Use any type of rice, or substitute cauliflower rice to make these bowls grain-free.
- Add any additional toppings to your heart’s delight.
Enjoy these beautifully balanced bowls!
My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!
If you make these Chicken Burrito Bowls, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
Chicken Burrito Bowls with Black Beans
Ingredients
For the Chicken (see note):
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
For the Bowls:
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
- 1 head curly kale
- 1 14-ounce can black beans
For Serving;
- pico de gallo or salsa of choice
- guacamole
- grated cheese optional
Instructions
Bake the Chicken:
- Add the chicken, oil, spices and sea salt to a zip lock bag and seal the bag. Give it a shake to distribute the oil and seasonings. If you have the time, refrigerate 15 minutes, up to 8 hours, to marinate.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish and bake 30 to 40 minutes (depending on thickness). Once the chicken is cooked through, allow it to rest at least 10 minutes on a cutting board to allow the juices to distribute throughout the meat. This will help keep the chicken nice and moist!
Prepare the Bowls:
- While the chicken is baking, steam the rice.
- While both the chicken and rice are cooking, prepare your bowl essentials. Saute the kale in a small amount of oil with sea salt. Whip up the guacamole and salsa (or use store-bought), and heat up the black beans. If you’re doing the cheese, grate up your cheese!
- Compile the bowls by adding desired amount of brown rice, chicken, sauteed kale, salsa, guacamole, and cheese to a big bowl. Serve and enjoy!
Hey Julia! I was wondering how the cooking method for the chicken would change if I use chicken thighs? It’s what I have right now . Thanks! Love your recipes so much 🙂
Hi Esme! The method wouldn’t change for chicken thighs. You’d still cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. If your thighs are small, you may cook them about 5 to 10 minutes less, depending on the size. Hope you enjoy!