Burrito Bowls
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Spice up dinnertime with delicious burrito bowls! Packed with grilled chicken, a spicy green sauce, and toppings to your heart’s content, these bowls are always a crowd-pleaser.
Who doesn’t love a burrito bowl? It’s a satisying way to bring together all your favorite flavors in one beautiful, colorful dish. These burrito bowls have two essential components: an easy grilled chicken recipe that’s perfect for grilling season, and a spicy green sauce that you’ll want to put on everything. The toppings are entirely up to you—fresh corn, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, or whatever suits your taste.
These bowls are a fantastic option for both family dinner or a party, as you can make most of the recipe ahead, and everyone will love assembling their own bowls. Serve them over plain basmati rice, cilantro lime rice (another one of my go-to recipes!), simple quinoa, or any grain. Not only are these bowls versatile and delicious, but they’re also healthy and gluten-free, making them a crowd-pleaser all around.
Table of Contents
“This is such a delicious recipe! My tween has declared it her favorite meal and my little guy loves that he can build his own bowl to his liking…Fantastic for next day lunch as well!”
What You’ll Need To Make Burrito Bowls
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Forms the base of the marinade and helps distribute spices and flavors evenly.
- Lime zest: Infuses the chicken with a vibrant, citrusy flavor. (Note: Use only the zest, as lime juice or any acidic ingredient can turn lean boneless skinless chicken breasts into shoe leather before they ever hit the grill. Save the limes for the green sauce.)
- Garlic: Adds aromatic depth to the marinade.
- Ancho chili powder, ground coriander, oregano: Provide a warm, smoky, and earthy flavor profile.
- Honey: Adds a touch of sweetness, balancing the spices and helping the chicken brown on the grill.
- Chicken tenderloins or boneless skinless chicken breasts: Serve as the protein base for the dish.
- Green Sauce: Made with jalapeño chili pepper, cilantro leaves, garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, fresh lime juice, and extra-virgin olive oil. Adds a spicy kick, herbal notes, tanginess, and creaminess that ties the dish together.
- Toppings: Fresh corn, tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, beans, pickled red onions, and cilantro all add color, texture, and additional flavor to the bowls. Use as many or as few as you like!
- Cilantro lime rice, basmati rice, or quinoa: Serve as a satisfying and gluten-free base for the dish. You can make your own or buy pre-made options from the store. Frozen or microwave options make life easy.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the marinade for the chicken. To make life easy, I combine everything in a ziplock bag (no dirty bowls!).
Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least six hours or overnight.
Next make the sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor.
Blend until smooth. You’ll notice that I add some of the seeds of the jalapeño to make it spicy—go easy at first and add more to your liking.
Up to this point, the entire recipe can be made ahead. Come dinnertime, preheat the grill. Place the chicken on the grill and cook, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning only once.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and serve with the quinoa, green sauce, and toppings of your choosing.
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Chicken & Quinoa Burrito Bowls with Spicy Green Sauce
Spice up dinnertime with delicious burrito bowls! Packed with grilled chicken, a spicy green sauce, and toppings to your heart’s content, these bowls are always a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime zest, from two limes (save the limes for the green sauce)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1¼ teaspoons ancho chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 pounds chicken tenderloins (or boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to an even ½-inch thickness)
For the Green Sauce
- 1 jalapeño chili pepper, seeded and roughly chopped (reserve the seeds; see note)
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For Serving
- Fresh corn, tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, beans, cilantro
- About 4 cups cooked quinoa, basmati rice, or cilantro lime rice
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Combine all of the ingredients except for the chicken breasts in a 1-gallon freezer bag. Close the bag and squish the marinade around to mix. Add the chicken and massage the marinade into the meat until evenly coated. Seal the bag and place it in a bowl in the refrigerator (the bowl protects against leakage); marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Clean the grill and preheat to high. Lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and, using tongs, carefully rub over the grates several times until glossy and coated. (Alternatively, you can spray the grates generously with a non-flammable cooking spray.) Place the chicken on the grill and cook, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning only once. Transfer to a cutting board and slice into bite-sized pieces.
For the Green Sauce
- Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend into a smooth sauce. Taste and then blend in some of the reserved jalapeño seeds to add heat, if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer the sauce to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To Assemble
- Scoop warm rice or quinoa into bowls and top with grilled chicken, optional toppings, and green sauce.
- Note: When it comes to the grain base, you can make your own or buy pre-made from the store (frozen or microwave options make life easy!) The rice recipes are linked above. To make your own quinoa, you'll need 1½ cups pre-washed quinoa (or rinse it before cooking) and ¾ teaspoon salt. To cook, add the quinoa, salt, and 2⅔ cups water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked. You'll know it is done when the little "tails" sprout from the grains. (Add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water if the quinoa is not cooked by the time all the liquid is absorbed.)
- Note: After touching the seeds of the jalapeño pepper, be sure to wash your hands well and avoid touching your eyes.
- Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately 3 Tbsp. of the oil is absorbed by the chicken while marinating.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: 1 bowl (data does not include green sauce or vegetable toppings)
- Calories: 627
- Fat: 33 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 53 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Sodium: 701 mg
- Cholesterol: 62 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Hey Jenn! I’m wondering how I could make this dairy free…I know I can use dairy free sour cream, but what’s a good substitute for the Mayo?
Hi Rebecca, the great majority of mayo you’ll find in stores is dairy-free (but be sure to check the label) so you should be good to go. Hope you enjoy!
Can’t wait to try this! If I make extra sauce, do you have an idea of how long it would last in the fridge?
I would guess it would last nicely in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Enjoy!
Wow – this was amazing! I only had an hour to marinate the chicken, and didn’t have quinoa so I served with cilantro rice from Jenn’s cookbook instead, but other than that followed the recipe exactly. The green sauce was to die for, and the chicken turned out juicy and flavorful despite the short marinating time. For veggies, I added leftover chickpea, corn and red pepper salad (also from Jenn’s blog). The combination was out of this world. One of my new favorite recipes. Can’t wait to make again!
This was fantastic! Made the chicken with the same spices as Jenn’s chicken fajitas recipe (which is also fantastic)—veggies in the bowl were fresh red pepper, scallions, tomatoes, red onion, and cucumber. Topped it with some shredded lettuce and mexican cheese too, and then the green sauce (omitting chilies because we can’t eat spicy)–it was absolutely delicious! Another total winner–Jenn is brilliant
I made this exactly as written, and it was perfection in a bowl. I am curious if you think it would be good with salmon, but only marinade is for about an hour. The recipe calls for lime zest (not juice which is acidic and can cook fish & seafood quickly). What are your thoughts on using salmon?
Glad you liked them! Yes, what you’re suggesting with salmon should work. Please LMK how it turns out!
Wondering if anyone has tried this by marinating the salmon and how it came out? This recipe is fantastic with the chicken but looking to try it with salmon
Hi Christene, It looks like a few people have replaced the chicken with salmon and have been happy with the results. Please LMK how it comes out if you try it!
This recipe was out of this world! The marinade was perfect and I could drink the sauce alone. My husband actually made it. He loves to cook, but doesn’t like to choose what he’s making, so I always select the recipes to give to him. He faithfully follows every recipe as written, so rest assured, if you make this recipe as stated, you won’t be disappointed!
I made this last night for supper and it was amazing! Very healthy and tasty. The green sauce is what really put it over the top. I used one jalapeño and half the seeds to give it a little kick. Hubby is not a quinoa fan, but he even said it was okay! I’m still working on him! 🙂 Will definitely be making this again and love that you can customize the veggies to put in it.
This was excellent! Made exactly as written. Thanks so much!
This meal is delicious, my husband and teen daughters all loved it- definitely restaurant quality. Thank you for this recipe!
I have to say that this is one of my favourite bowls! The flavour is fantastic!!! The perfect bowl to prep for lunches. And can I just say that the sauce is out of this world!!! I want to put it on everything lol. Also, my husband who hates cilantro, can’t wait for me to make it.
Thank you so much for making so many amazing recipes. They are on regular rotation in my house. Loving your cook book too. Will there be a second book soon? 😄