Easy Chicken Burrito Bowls with Salsa

For all of us, finding time to make a healthy and tasty home cooked meal can sometimes be a big challenge. Especially during the week with work, family, and all other kinds of commitments. Carving out time to make healthy, tasty meals at home for the family can be a big challenge. This dish is an awesome option for those busy folks! Our Easy Chicken Burrito Bowls with Salsa is ready in under 30 minutes, and packs all the big, authentic flavors you expect from a Burrito Bowl without the hassle of long cooking or marinating times

The secret to making Easy Chicken Burrito Bowls is using store-bought Salsa

We stumbled across this cooking method as a bit of a trial-and-error recipe. Dinnertime was fast approaching and we didn’t really have anything prepped. The fridge was loaded with classic Burrito ingredients (Tomato, Lettuce, Cheese etc.), but nothing was prepped!

So, on a whim we tried substituting the typical marinade of a Mexican Chicken Dish with some store-bought Salsa that was sitting in the pantry. The results were truly phenomenal. Beautifully flavored pieces of Chicken that replicate the classic flavors of a typical Burrito Bowl, but without any of the hassle of having to marinade the Chicken for hours before cooking

This cooking technique is one that has now become a ‘go-to’ in our household when we want something tasty, nutritious, but also simple. It’s the perfect meal to feed a hungry family in a busy household, as the whole dish can be made in under 30 minutes

How to make Easy Chicken Burrito Bowls with Salsa dish

Let’s naturally kick things off by talking about how to prepare the Chicken. Yes, there are other elements to a Burrito Bowl but lets face it, the Chicken is the real star, and what usually takes the most amount of time

As mentioned earlier there is no marinade needed for this dish, which saves a whopping amount of time. We can replicate the flavors of a deeply marinated Chicken by using store-bought Salsa. You can use any brand you like, just choose one you enjoy the taste of!

First step is to seer off the Chicken Thighs in the frying pan until they’re browned. You don’t need to completely cook the Chicken through; we’re just browning the outside. You can season the Chicken with whatever seasoning you like. I’d suggest some classic Mexican flavors like Coriander Powder, Cumin, Paprika, and of course Salt and Pepper

Adding the Salsa to the dish

Once seared over a high heat, remove the Chicken and cut it into bite-sized pieces. In the same pan, add the whole jar of Salsa and bring it to a simmer. Ensure that you scrape up all those tasty Chicken bits that have stuck to the pan as they pack a load of flavor

Simply bring the Salsa to a simmer in a frying pan then add the Chicken pieces. Once cooked, add the Cheese and it’s done!

Once the Salsa is simmering, add the Chicken pieces and stir them through. We now cook the Chicken through entirely, which will take no time at all since we’ve already chopped them into bite-sized pieces. 4 – 5 minutes will be more than enough time

Final step is to add Cheese. So, unlike typical Burrito Bowls where the Cheese is served on the side, for our Easy Chicken Burrito Bowls we incorporate the Cheese into the Chicken

The Cheese gives the Chicken and Sauce a velvety, creamy texture. It adds a lusciousness to the dish, and honestly is something that we are going to try more when cooking homemade Mexican food. Once the Cheese has been fully incorporated into the Chicken it’s done! The whole process takes about 15 minutes

Preparing the remaining ingredients for the Burrito Bowls

We’re keeping this dish classical in the accompaniments to the Chicken. A combination of Pico de Gallo, Shredded Lettuce, Grilled Peppers and Onions, and Rice. You can put the Rice on while the Chicken is cooking and just set it aside once cooked

Pico de Gallo is easy to prepare. Just finely dice up some Tomatoes, Red Onion, and mix in some Cilantro, Salt, and Lemon Juice. We’ve got an awesome recipe for homemade Pico de Gallo here which you can check out

Grilled Peppers and Onions are another staple of Burrito Bowls and are rarely skipped over in a Chipotle line! They’re so easy to make at home too. Simply slice your Bell Pepper and Onion into strips roughly the same size and grill them over a medium high heat with some Oil and Spices. Once the Veggies begin to caramelize they’re all done

Serving the dish

This is a simple and easy midweek meal so there’s no right or wrong way to serve our Easy Chicken Burrito Bowls. The point of this dish is to enjoy a hearty, delicious meal so you can serve it up any way you like!

Two options are to plate each individual dish on the table and allow everyone to build their own bowls. I like this option because people can mix and match with whatever ingredients they want. Don’t like Avocado? Fine, don’t put it in your bowl!

The other way is to build the bowls yourself. I like starting with a bed of Rice and then adding the Chicken. Top with the remaining ingredients and serve. You can also enjoy this dish as a more conventional Burrito. Just heat up a few Flour or Corn Tortillas and wrap them around the filling and you’ve got a delicious Chicken Burrito to enjoy

Easy Chicken Burrito Bowls with Salsa Recipe

Ingredients

• 2lbs. Chicken Thighs
• ½ tsp. Cumin Powder
• ½ tsp. Coriander Powder
• ½ tsp. Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Pepper
• 2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• 400g / 14 oz. store bought Mexican Salsa
• 1 ½ cups of Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 1 Bell Pepper, cut into slices
• 1 Red Onion, roughly chopped
• Steamed Rice (recipe here)
• Pico de Gallo (recipe here)
• 2 cups of Shredded Lettuce
• ½ cup Sour Cream
• Tortillas (optional)
• ½ Avocado (optional)
  
  

Instructions

1. Coat the Chicken thighs with the spice mixture of Cumin, Coriander, Smoked Paprika, Salt, and Pepper. Heat 1 tbsp. of Oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat
2. Once hot, add the Chicken and brown on both sides (2 – 3 minutes on each side). Remove Chicken from the pan and then cut it into bite-sized pieces
3. Pour the Salsa into the same pan and bring it to a simmer, scraping up the pieces of Chicken stuck to the pan. Return the Chicken pieces to the pan and cook completely through (about 6 minutes)
4. Add the Cheese and mix through, then remove from heat and place into a serving bowl
5. Wipe the pan clean and add 1 tbsp. of Olive Oil. Turn up heat to high and add the Bell Pepper and Onions. Sauté until charred and then place into a serving bowl
6. Serve the remaining ingredients in individual bowls and allow people to build their own Burrito Bowls at the table
   
   

Recipe Notes

• You can serve individually plated Burrito Bowls if you prefer. Start with a bed of Rice and top with Chicken, then the remaining ingredients
• It’s recommended to start the dish by making your simple Steamed Rice. While it’s cooking you can cook the Chicken and prepare the remaining ingredients
  
  

We just love the simplicity of these Easy Chicken Burrito Bowls with Salsa. The fact you can produce intensely rich and authentic flavors by simply adding some store-bought Salsa to the pan takes a lot of work out of the dish. Ready in under 30 minutes, it’s the perfect meal to feed a busy family

For more simple and easy family dinner recipes, check out these amazing dishes:

• Greek Meatball Salad
• Chicken Schnitzel Salad with Roast Vegetables
• Creamy Sausage Rigatoni
• Grilled Steak and Onion Tacos
  
  

Happy Cooking!