This easy chicken burrito bowls are full of flavor! Slow cooker chicken is tossed with fresh vegetables and topped with a Greek Yogurt dressing.
Oh haiiiiiii, Wednesday!
I am so psyched (do people still say "psyched?" Help me be hip, internet!) about these chicken burrito bowls. They use that super-simple slow cooker salsa chicken we talked about on Monday, and they're chock-full of fresh veggies and summery goodness.
Summertime is hitting its stride, which means my food gets overtaken by the best-ever explosion of color from all the fresh produce rolling in. Oodles and oodles of cornnnnnnn and cilaaaaaaantro and baaaaaaaaasil and AHH THE TOMATOES.
We haven't quite hit full swing tomato time yet, but I'll be spending the next five weeks or so quite literally on the edge of my seat waiting for...(is this where I'm supposed to say "drumroll please"?)...the tomato email.
Ahhhhh, the tomato email.
It comes in August or early September from a u-pick farm in town. They grow other things, too, of course - raspberries and zucchini and rows upon rows of incredible apples - but what I'm really interested in are the tomatoes. I get an email every week or so with a list of the farm's pick-able crops, and towards the end of summer, when the tomato crop has burst into the world in all its tomato-y glory, they'll send an email that goes something like this: "Tomatoes are here! Come pick as many as you can. $10 a peck. Buy 3 get 1 free."
...and then I break into my happy dance.
To put it in perspective, a peck of tomatoes for us ends up being abouuuuuut 17 pounds (we fill our boxes very, very full). Which means I had abouuuuuuut 70 pounds of perfect summer tomatoes sitting in my kitchen after our last tomato-picking adventure.
Basically, I ate bruschetta for every meal and made about a thousand gallons of marinara sauce to store through the winter (and then, of course, failed at rationing said marinara sauce so I ran out somewhere around January and now I am in dire, dire need of some spaghetti), loaded up on chips and basic homemade salsa, and ate this tomato goat cheese galette over and over again and was just the world's very happiest camper.
Side note: take a Google and see if there are any u-pick farms in your area - it's a ton of fun and you get to know your local farmers, plus it's often cheaper than the grocery store or even the farmer's market!
...Was I supposed to be telling you about a burrito bowl or something?
If you've already made that slow cooker salsa chicken, these chicken burrito bowls will take you all of 30 minutes to put together. Although, if you're the kind of person who likes to put everything in its own adorable little display bowl before you let the hungry people assemble their burrito bowls (-->points to self<--), maybe tack on a few extra minutes for the bowl selecting + patting yourself on the back for finding a legitimate use for the tiny bowls you can't stop buying + dealing with the aforementioned hungry people who do not care about the tiny bowls and would just like to be allowed to eat their dinner, please.
I love that these bowls are so easy to throw together - just chop some veggies, throw in some rice and chicken, and blend up some jalapeño lime crema (with Greek yogurt! Yay protein!) or a quick cilantro Greek yogurt sauce and bam! Dinner is served. If you haven't had a chance to try this slow cooker salsa chicken yet, just use some chopped grilled chicken breasts or whatever else you've got on hand.
Also, these burrito bowls feature fresh, summertime tomatoes! (SEE I TOTALLY HAD A PLAN FOR THAT STORY).
📖 Recipe
Salsa Chicken Burrito Bowls with Greek Yogurt Lime Crema
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
Description
Our favorite slow cooker chicken forms a tasty base for these easy chicken burrito bowls!
Ingredients
FOR THE CREMA:
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 tsp. lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
FOR THE BURRITO BOWLS:
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice (or whatever kind of rice you like)
- 2 cups shredded slow cooker salsa chicken
- 15.5 oz (1 can) black beans, drained
- 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup sweet corn
- ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
FOR THE CREMA:
- Place greek yogurt, lime juice, salt, pepper, and two slices (to start) of jalapeño in a blender. Puree until you have a smooth sauce and give it a taste. I like a LOT of jalapeño in this crema, so at this point I like to add a few more slices. The spice level will be different depending on your pepper and your taste buds, so start small and blend in additional jalapeño slices until you have a heat level you're comfortable with.
- Set blended crema aside.
- Put any extra jalapeño slices out for people to include with their burrito bowls.
FOR THE BURRITO BOWLS:
- Cook the rice according to package directions (or in a rice cooker, if you have one, you lucky duck).
- While the rice cooks, I like to prep the veggies - chop and drain everything as specified in the instructions and set it all aside.
- If you've been keeping your chicken in the fridge, heat it up with a quick zap in the microwave. Add a splash of fresh salsa if it looks dried out at all.
- I like to set all the components out and let people assemble their own burrito bowls - put a scoop of rice and chicken in a large bowl, pile on all the veggies, and finish with a drizzle of crema.
Notes
Didn't have a chance to make some slow cooker salsa chicken? Just chop up any cooked chicken (grilled, baked, slow cooker shredded chicken, etc.) you have on hand! You could also omit the meat to make this vegetarian, or replace the chicken with your favorite protein.
Use whatever ingredients you have on hand - shredded cheddar cheese, sliced bell peppers, or even some sautéed onions would be great additions to these burrito bowls!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 servings
- Calories: 541
- Sugar: 7.3 g
- Sodium: 63.1 mg
- Fat: 8.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 80 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 45.4 mg
Keywords: chicken, main dish, meal prep
Jessie @ Life As A Strawberry
These easy chicken burrito bowls are still one of my favorite go-tos on busy weeknights. They're great with our salsa chicken or a rotisserie chicken, and that quick crema makes them feel more complete and put-together!
★★★★★
Thalia @ butter and brioche
So delicious and healthy! I definitely can see myself making the recipe.
Jessie
Thanks, Thalia! We've been eating these burrito bowls alllllll the time lately - they're so easy and tasty!
Rachel @LittleChefBigAppetite
So yummy! I want this for dinner tonight!
Jessie
Thanks, Rachel!