This Mexican, Simple Cooking with Heart recipe for smoky chicken bowls make for a substantial dinner or even an easily-transported work lunch. Just layer into a Mason jar or a plastic/ glass storage container for a portable meal. Also note that the chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours.
Ingredients – 4 Servings
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3/4 cups quinoa
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 limes (zested and juiced)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped, fresh cilantro
For the Chicken and Bowl:
- 2 Tbsp canola oil (divided)
- 1 minced chipotle pepper (+ 3 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo)
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 lb boneless, skinless, thinly sliced chicken breast
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 5 oz packaged spinach, spring greens, or arugula
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved if desired)
- 1 avocado (peeled, diced)
- 1 cup packaged, shredded carrots (or 2 large carrots, shredded)
- 1 cup sliced radishes
- 2 scallions or green onions (finely chopped)
30 min Totaltime
5.38 Priceper serving
480 Caloriesper serving
2.5 g Sat. Fatper serving
559 mg Sodiumper servingQuick Tips
Tip: Serving size approximately 1 cup quinoa + 1 cup chicken per person, plus around 2 cups vegetables
Cooking Tip: A marinade that is cooked like in this recipe can be eaten. But never consume a marinade that raw meat has been soaked in that hasn’t been cooked because it can make you sick.
Keep it Healthy: The ultra-popular quinoa is being called a “super-grain” for the high amount of protein, fiber, and vitamins per serving. It’s also quicker to make than rice so keep this in mind for your next dinner.
Tip: Prefer cucumber chunks to shredded carrots? Cater the vegetables in the bowl to your own tastes, even adding fruit into the mix, like chopped apples or orange segments.
Directions
Tip: Click on step to mark as complete.
- 1Into a large zip-top bag, add marinade ingredients: 2 tablespoons canola oil, minced chipotle pepper, adobe sauce, honey, salt, and pepper. Add chicken breasts into the bag, making sure the chicken is well-coated with marinade. Let sit for 10 minutes (make the quinoa as you wait) or place chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for up to 24 hours.
- 2Into a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, warm remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add chicken breasts and marinade liquid, using tongs to frequently turn the chicken breasts to be coated in marinade. Sauté until chicken is fully cooked, around 4 to 6 minutes depending on thickness. Remove from heat. When chicken has cooled slightly, transfer chicken to cutting board to chop into bite-size pieces. Then, transfer remaining liquid from pan into a small bowl; stir vinegar into the liquid to use as a dressing.
- 3To assemble, add the greens into the bottom of each bowl. Divide quinoa and chicken among each bowl, along with tomatoes, avocado, carrots, radishes, and scallions. Drizzle with the dressing and serve.
Recipe copyright © 2016 American Heart Association. This recipe is brought to you by the American Heart Association’s Simple Cooking with Heart ® Program. For more simple, quick and affordable recipes, visit heart.org/simplecooking.