These super easy, 30 minute Chicken Burrito Bowls with Cilantro Yoghurt Dressing are healthy, colourful and packed full of flavour! Perfect for a lazy dinner or meal prep for lunches!
This is the part where you guys say "um, Laura, burrito bowls are sooooo 2015" and the part where I reply "yes I know I'm extremely late to the party as per usual but guuuys!!!"
You need these Chicken Burrito Bowls in your life, today and tomorrow and probably 3 times this week for dinner because they will be the best thing you've eaten in ages. Well, at least since those blondies last week. And not to mention they are so quick and easy you won't actually believe it. But mostly because the chicken in these bowls that is generously coated in my favourite Homemade Burrito Spice Mix is out of this world! And did I mention the dressing? All the drooly and heart eyed emojis.
I don't know about you guys but I'm always a little bit skeptical about recipes that claim they are 30 minute meals. Because do you mean 30 minutes if I'm a trained professional in a shiny stainless steel commercial kitchen with a helper (NOT a toddler "helper") and all of my ingredients prepped and ready for me and also someone reading the recipe to me as I make it, or 30 minutes in my real life kitchen with said toddler hanging off my leg at 5pm HANGRY and nothing ready to go with just a few boring things in the fridge looking out at me as I search for inspiration like "what are you looking at??"
I have great news for you. Chicken Burrito Bowls with a super flavourful and GREEN cilantro (or coriander, same thing but cilantro sounds way fancier) yoghurt dressing most definitely fall into the latter category. Dressing included!
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How to make Chicken Burrito Bowls
1. Make my Burrito Spice Mix! This is the coating for the chicken and is where the flavour comes from. Making this only takes 5 minutes and is included in the 30 minutes! So if you make a big batch in advance you have 5 minutes spare to pour and drink a glass of wine.
2. Cook the rice and pan fry or grill the chicken. In summer, BBQ it. In winter, a frying pan is perfect. I like to slice the chicken breasts in half lengthways...this way the chicken cooks faster. Give the chicken a generous coating of burrito spice mix - it packs it full of flavour!
3. While the chicken & rice are cooking, make the dressing. Cilantro/coriander, yoghurt, lime juice, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper all go into a mini food processor or nutribullet - whatever you have - and whizz them up. Dressing perfection. Also, if avocados are not $6 EACH!! half of one would go extremely well in the dressing and would make it super creamy. And the other half could be added to the bowls and would be right at home.
4. Cut up your salad fixings - cucumber, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrot, grated cheese and more cilantro/coriander.
5. Assemble the bowls, sit down and enjoy. You just got dinner on the table in 30 real life minutes.
These Chicken Burrito Bowls are also perfect for making at the start of the week to take in your lunches if meal prep is your thing. I've included instructions below, but it simply involves dividing the chicken, rice and beans into lunch sized containers and putting the salad ingredients in a separate container. When it comes to eating, heat the chicken, rice and beans and then add in your salad ingredients! And don't forget the dressing!
They're the answer to your 5pm panic about what's for dinner. Healthy, colourful and so flavourful that they will appeal to the whole family!
Other quick dinner ideas:
Sheet Pan Sausage and Veggies with Satay Sauce
30 Minute Stovetop Macaroni Cheese
Mushroom Pasta with Garlic Herb Butter Sauce
Made this? Tag me on Instagram @thekiwicountrygirl and hashtag it #thekiwicountrygirl. And if you tried and loved this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below!
Chicken Burrito Bowls with Cilantro Yoghurt Dressing
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts
- 4 teaspoons burrito spice mix (see recipe note 1)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Cilantro Yoghurt Dressing
- 1 cup fresh cilantro/coriander (leaves and stalks)
- ½ cup yoghurt (plain & unsweetened)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt & pepper
For the bowls
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 cups chopped fresh vegetables (cherry tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, carrot)
- ½ cup cooked black beans
- ¼ cup grated cheese
Instructions
Chicken
- Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally so that you have 4 thinner pieces of chicken. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of burrito spice mix on each side of the chicken breasts and gently rub in. If you don't like touching raw chicken, just sprinkle it on and leave it!
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the chicken, flipping once during cooking until cooked all the way through. I usually cook it for about 10 minutes on each side. While the chicken is cooking, cook your rice.
Cilantro Yoghurt Dressing
- Add all dressing ingredients to a mini food processor or nutribullet (or similar) and blitz together for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the dressing is the desired consistency.
Assemble the bowls
- Add a sufficient quantity of rice to 2 bowls. Slice the cooked chicken and place on the rice along with black beans and salad ingredients.
- Drizzle with the cilantro yoghurt dressing and enjoy!
To meal prep
- Divide the chicken, rice and beans into 2 containers (or as many bowls as you are making). Divide the salad ingredients into 2 separate containers. If you have tiny containers, portion the dressing in these and keep in the same container as the salad. If not, keep the dressing in a jar and remember to take the jar of dressing with you! Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. When ready to eat, heat only the chicken, rice and beans and then add the salad ingredients and dressing.
Notes
- You can use store bought burrito spice mix (or taco seasoning) but it's super easy to make your own:
Combine 2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon chilli powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder and ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Nutrition
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Yum, we had this for dinner tonight and it was great. No one in our house is a fan of coriander so we switched it out for some mint in the yoghurt dressing and added corn to our salad vege. Went down a treat.
Soooo good and easy
10 minutes of prep?!? Now you’re talking my language!! Can’t wait to try this!!
We speak the same language!! 🙂 Hope you love them!