These Flavorful Chipolte Chicken Bowl with Cilantro Lime Rice and Avocado Lime Dressing are perfect for your next meal… even when you’re short on time!
We’ve been experimenting with bowls lately… bowls filled with delightfully delicious concoctions! The main reason behind this is because we had a plethora of different rice and noodles exploding from our cupboards and I decided that we’d better start using up some of it. It’s turned out to be some of our favorite meals around our home. Meals like this Chipolte chicken bowl with cilantro lime rice, and because I can’t leave well enough alone sometimes, a topping of avocado lime dressing really takes this dish over the top. You know what else is so great about bowls? They are rather simple to make and can be customized for all the taste profiles you have in your home!
For example, in my boy’s bowls I’ll leave out the red onion and salsa, but for mine I’ll just keep piling it all on. 
Something I’ve realized with our sometimes busy schedules, as adults it’s easy to become wrapped up in the stress of it. In staying on schedule, getting from A to B and rushing from one thing to the next. We rush our kids and wonder why they don’t have speed when we need or want them to. That’s when it seems easier to grab takeout and throw whatever we can on the table (and I’m not knocking that, because some days it’s a totally legit option and I’m all about it!). What I’ve also found though, is that when I take a step back, which happens to be more often and more frequent as of late because at 27 weeks pregnant, the waddle has become my walk and slow and steady is my own pace, this has allowed me to see life a little differently. I see that what frustrated us about our kids time schedule is what makes life so full and celebratory for them. The little things they find along the way, how the world unfolds before them. With all that said, sometimes I want dinner to be this way too. While the thought of cooking up a full meal can sometimes seem daunting or like it takes so much longer, there are options, like this chicken bowl, that really isn’t that difficult and takes about the same amount of time as running out for takeout! For me, it’s a way to let the world slow down, to let family come together (even if we do have to be out of the door or getting ready for bed right after), to feel the raw, whole ingredients under moving fingertips while creating something family loves and take a moment to be good to yourself… your body because it’s healthier, your mind because you can decide to slow down and enjoy the process.
Okay, so rant over. Let’s get to making this delicious meal!
Any meat works for this recipe, just use what you have… we like chicken. Toss it in a bowl with some olive oil, taco seasoning and a squeeze of a lime and let marinate. If you’re really good at planning ahead, you can do this step at any time, cover and leave in the fridge until you’re ready to make dinner! Once I’ve got other items cooking, I’ll send my husband out to the grill, although this time, the grill didn’t start up and he brought it pan in… so in the pot it went and we just let it simmer until it was cooked through. Turns out it’s great both ways!
For the rice, just cook according to package directions. A rice cooker saves time, and if you’ve got the instant rice packs (which I use often), well that’s a fast way to go too! Instead of water, I cooked in chicken broth for a little extra, but you don’t have to. When it’s ready, just stir in chopped cilantro and squeeze another lime into the bowl, voila… cilantro lime rice the easy way!
Another thing I’ve been wanting to whip up lately is an avocado lime dressing and this was the perfect opportunity. Since I already had plenty of cilantro and limes on hand, it was SO simple to just toss a few ingredients into the blender and create one of the most delicious additions to the meal! This would work great on salads and other mexican inspired dishes as well. Also, side note, did you know you can clean your blender in a flash by putting a little dish soap and water into it and letting it run (best results immediately after you’ve used it), then just rinse and you’re done! So simple and quick 🙂
Another thing we added to our bowls is our simple blender salsa, which we already had in the fridge from a previous meal. You could add in diced tomatoes or any other salsa instead. A fun twist on our blender salsa this time though was adding in a can of peaches… mind blown it was so good! Like my new favorite salsa kind of good. Although I’m that person that likes a little bit of sweet with my food, grilled pineapple on a burger, mango or peach salsa, etc.
- 2-3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 1 lime, squeezed
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 packet taco spice mix (or about 3 tablespoons seasoning)
- 2 cups rice (prepared according to package directions)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 lime
- bunch of cilantro
- 1 avocado
- 1 handful cilantro
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 lime, squeezed
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup sour cream or greek yogurt
- ¼ cup water
- ¾ cup sliced sweet bell peppers (any color combo, I usually grill along with the chicken)
- ½ cup diced red onions
- 1 can corn
- 1 can black beans
- 1 cup salsa
- In a medium bowl, add the chicken breast with the olive oil, taco spice mix and squeeze half of a lime on the mixture and mix. Cover the chicken and allow to marinate in fridge for anywhere from 10 minutes-2 days.
- Prepare rice according to package directions. You can replace water with chicken broth for added flavor. Cover and set aside. Stir in a handful of chopped cilantro and squeeze one lime into the bowl before serving.
- Heat a grill, griddle or stove-top pan on medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes on each side. remove from heat and set aside.
- While the chicken is on the grill, place all of the ingredients for the dressing into a food processor or blender and process until smooth, scraping down the edges occasionally. Add a tablespoon of water at a time if needed for consistency.
- Chop or open all of the remaining veggies.
- After the chicken has finished cooking and the rice is ready, toss the rice with minced cilantro, salt and the juice of a lime. Spoon the rice into bowls, top with beans, corn, bell peppers, salsa and onions. Place desired amount of sliced, grilled chicken on top and top with dressing.
- Enjoy!
Join the conversation:
What makes you slow down and enjoy life around you?
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Samantha says
Can the dressing be prepared in advance? Like a day or two ahead of time?