We love Chipotle as a quick dinner option during the week when I don’t feel like cooking. Usually I get their salad, but will also get the burrito bowl. I think they’re basically the sane thing, one just has lettuce. Our daughter, Kylie, loves Chipotle, as I think most teens do. I wanted to try and make my own burrito bowl for dinner as a “Taco Tuesday” option and that’s just what I did last night. Kylie and her friend, Kendra, were at the house yesterday afternoon and Kendra would be staying for dinner. I enjoyed my time in the kitchen so much yesterday afternoon because the girls were just around the corner in the other room and were laughing non-stop … as girls should! It really put a smile on my face and joy in my heart to hear them having so much fun. It brought back so many memories of the times I spent with my best friend, Linda, when we were in high school. Kylie and Kendra both just finished their first year in college and are each taking a summer class. Kylie has her second mid-term in the last two weeks tomorrow – they really pack a lot into a summer class. She’s been working so hard, I’m quite the proud mom.

Kylie and I stopped at the market yesterday afternoon to pick up avocados and cilantro for our burrito bowls when she saw a table of fresh corn (6 for 96 cents!). The corn looked fantastic, as it usually does in summer, so we bought that to add to our burrito bowls as well, plus a few extra ears for later in the week – Kylie loves corn on the cob, as does Dennis.

I started by mixing together several spices to rub onto four boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The spices I chose were chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, kosher salt, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, dried orange peel and lime zest. I used the juice of two limes on the chicken instead of brushing them with olive oil. I wanted to save on fat and knew the lime juice would give the chicken a great flavor. If you have really juicy limes, 2 should be fine, otherwise I’d use 3 for the juice.

I let the spices marinate on the chicken for just about 30 minutes before placing the chicken in the oven. Not too long at all, but you could definitely marinate this for a couple hours in the refrigerator, or longer, if you desire. I then roasted the chicken in a preheated 425 degree oven for 35 minutes, just until the temperature reached 165 degrees.

While the chicken was in the oven, Kylie and I shucked the corn and I simply boiled it in salted water. I added just about 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt to my water. I also heated my pinto beans and black beans (Chipotle has options, so I figured I should as well).

During this time, I also made my rice. I debated making brown rice, which you most certainly could. The girls wanted white, so that’s what I made. I did make quinoa for Dennis’ burrito bowl, which is also a nice option … and a healthy option. Once the rice was done cooking, I squeezed the juice of three limes into the rice and added some of the cilantro I minced to the pot, stirred it all together and my lime cilantro rice was ready for the bowls.

I took this time to chop my Roma tomatoes and red onion as well.

After the corn was finished cooking, I removed it from the water and set it aside to cool a bit so I could remove the kernels from the cob. I recommend placing your cob on it’s end in a bowl when removing the kernels – it saves on the mess a little. Just take a knife, while holding the cob upright with your other hand and run the knife along the cob, behind the kernels and they will fall into the bowl. This way you also have the corn in a nice serving bowl and ready to go as well :).

Once the chicken was done, I let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into bite size chunks.

With the chicken done, and the fixings for our burrito bowl prepped and ready to go, dinner was served. Feel free to add shredded cheese to your bowl, if you desire. I did not want cheese on mine so did not. My daughter, Kylie, however, did put cheese on her bowl.

Ingredients – Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried orange peel

juice of 2-3 limes

zest of 2 limes

Directions – Chicken

1. Place chicken on a large sheet pan and squeeze fresh lime juice over the top and bottom.
2. In a small dish, mix together seasonings. Add lime zest and mix again. Cover chicken on both sides with seasoning mix. Let sit for 30 minutes, or marinate for a couple hours if you have the time.
3. Place chicken in a preheated 425 degree oven for 35 minutes, or until the instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees.
4. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before cutting it into bite size pieces.

Ingredients – Rice

white or brown rice

juice of 3 limes

chopped cilantro

Directions – Rice

1. Cook rice per package directions.
2. Add lime juice and cilantro, stir.

Fixings for Burrito Bowl

chicken

white or brown rice

corn

black or pinto beans

red onion, diced

cilantro, chopped

Roma tomatoes, chopped

avocado, sliced

shredded cheese, if desired

Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris