What do you do when a Mexican food craving hits and you’re out of tortillas? Run to Chipotle? (You could, but it’s so overpriced.) I like to improvise! I had all of the ingredients needed to make chicken burritos, but no shells, so I just skipped them and tossed everything else together.

Chicken Burrito Bowls are fantastic, because they’re quick to prepare and very flexible on ingredients. Like most recipes, I consider this to be a starting point, so experiment to your heart’s content.

To make Chicken Burrito Bowls, you will need:

*  2 Cups cooked rice  (can be white or brown, I prefer white.)

*  2-3 Pieces of cooked chicken breast, chunked or shredded

*  1 Can black beans  (Goya is my fav.)

*  1 Cup cooked corn  (I used frozen).

*  1 Tomato, chopped

*  1 Red onion, diced

*  2 Avocados, diced  (Store bought guacamole is a good alternative, too.)

*  Small bunch of cilantro  (totally optional.)

*  Juice of a lime

*  Salt  (use a generous amount)

*  Tabasco (amount depends on how much spice you can tolerate.)

A note on meat and dairy: I don’t generally mix the two in my own kitchen, which is why no cheese or sour cream was used. If you’d liked to, go for it.

Start with a large mixing bowl. Add the lime juice, tobacco, and salt. Mix together. There’s no “perfect” method to layering, but this is how I like to do it:

1.  Rice

2.  Beans

3.  Onion

4.  Chicken

5.  Corn

6.  Tomato

7.  Avocado

8.  Cilantro

Chicken Burrito Bowls are addictive! Seriously, plate these individually or you may end up inhaling the entire bowl. I still miss the tortilla—not gonna lie—but these are tasty and filling, plus they’re lower in calories.

 

Do you prefer burritos or burrito bowls?