Clean Chicken Burrito Bowl
Smoky marinated chicken thighs, cilantro-lime rice, saucy black beans and a fresh blended salsa, built into a bowl.
Ingredients
- 500 g Chicken breast
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Lime
- 1½ tsp Smoked paprika
- 1½ tsp Ground cumin
- 180 g White rice
- 300 ml Chicken stock
- 1 tin Black beans
- 2 Tomato
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Chili powder (optional)
- ½ tsp Dried oregano (optional)
- 1 tbsp Butter (optional)
- 3 tbsp Cilantro (optional)
- ¼ Onion (optional)
- 1 Chili (optional)
- 1 Green chili (optional)
- ¾ tsp Black pepper (optional)
Method
- Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces.
- Mix the chicken with the olive oil, the minced garlic, the lime juice, the smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, oregano, the salt and the black pepper. Let it marinate at least 20 minutes (or overnight in the fridge).
- Rinse the rice, then add it to a pan with the chicken stock, butter, the crushed garlic and the salt. Bring to a boil, cover and cook on low for 12-15 minutes.
- Take the rice off the heat and let it rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
- Fluff the rice and stir through the juice of the other lime half and the chopped cilantro.
- Blend the tomatoes, onion, the garlic, the red and green chilies and the salt until smooth or slightly chunky. Set aside to rest.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-high with a small drizzle of oil. Add the marinated chicken in a single layer and cook 4-5 minutes without moving it, so it browns well.
- Flip and cook another 3-4 minutes, until just cooked through and lightly charred, then lift onto a plate.
- In the same pan, cook the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the drained black beans with a little cumin and smoked paprika, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a splash of stock or water. Cook 3-5 minutes until hot and slightly saucy.
- Return the chicken to the pan and toss with the beans for 30 seconds. Finish with a squeeze of lime.
- Divide the cilantro-lime rice between three bowls, top with the chicken and beans, and spoon the blended salsa over.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Clean Chicken Burrito Bowl
A burrito bowl takes everything you love about a burrito — smoky seasoned meat, cilantro-lime rice, beans and fresh salsa — and serves it over rice in a bowl instead of wrapped in a tortilla, which makes it lighter, quicker and easier to build at home. This clean version leans into the healthy side of the format: lean chicken breast marinated in cumin, paprika and chili, saucy black beans, and a fresh blended salsa spooned generously over the top. Skipping the cheese, sour cream and tortilla keeps it high in protein and genuinely high in fibre, landing it among our best macro-friendly meals.
Each element is simple but pulls its weight. The rice is cooked in stock with garlic, then finished off the heat with lime and cilantro so it stays bright; the beans are warmed with spices until slightly saucy; and the salsa is simply blended and left to sit while the chicken cooks, so its flavour comes together. It is built for meal prep — the recipe makes three servings, and the components keep and reheat well for days if you store the salsa separately. Add avocado, corn or a dollop of Greek yogurt if you want to build it up.
Clean Chicken Burrito Bowl: frequently asked questions
What is in a chicken burrito bowl?
This bowl layers cilantro-lime rice, smoky marinated chicken, saucy black beans and a fresh blended salsa — all the fillings of a burrito served over rice in a bowl instead of wrapped in a tortilla. It is finished with the salsa spooned over the top.
Is a burrito bowl healthy?
It can be very healthy. This clean version uses lean chicken breast, no cheese or sour cream, and gets a big 11.7g of fibre from the beans and salsa, landing high in protein at around 50g per serving. It earns both our bulk-up and gut-health tags.
What is the difference between a burrito and a burrito bowl?
A burrito wraps the rice, meat, beans and salsa inside a large flour tortilla; a burrito bowl serves the same fillings over rice in a bowl with no wrap. The bowl is lighter, since it skips the tortilla, and easier to make at home.
What makes cilantro lime rice?
Plain rice cooked with garlic and stock, then finished off the heat with fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro. Stirring the lime and herbs through at the end, rather than cooking them in, keeps the flavour bright and fresh.
What kind of chicken is best for a burrito bowl?
Boneless chicken thigh or breast, cut into pieces and marinated in smoky spices like cumin, chili powder and paprika. Thigh stays juicier; breast, used here, keeps the bowl leaner and higher in protein per calorie.
Can I meal prep burrito bowls?
Yes — burrito bowls are ideal for meal prep. The rice, chicken and beans keep and reheat well for several days; store the salsa separately and add it fresh, and this recipe makes three servings so it is built for it.
What can I add to a burrito bowl?
Common additions are avocado or guacamole, shredded cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt, corn, pickled onions or extra chili. This clean version leaves them off to stay light, but any of them can be spooned on to taste.
How many calories are in Clean Chicken Burrito Bowl?
A serving has about 717 calories — 50.4g protein, 82.4g carbs, 21.6g fat, 11.7g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 50.4g of protein, roughly 28% of its calories.
Is Clean Chicken Burrito Bowl gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Clean Chicken Burrito Bowl has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Clean Chicken Burrito Bowl dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Clean Chicken Burrito Bowl take to make?
About 45 minutes start to finish, but only around 23 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Clean Chicken Burrito Bowl?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out chili powder, dried oregano, butter — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Clean Chicken Burrito Bowl make?
This recipe makes 3 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.