This appetizing Southwest Chicken Bowl is full of flavor with juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, jalapenos, zesty salsa ranch, and more.
This lively little Southwest chicken bowl is the perfect easy meal heading into summer with its bright and tasty ingredients.
The high nutritional value and hearty ingredients in this little lunch bowl provide you with an energy that leaves you satisfied until your next meal, without feeling overstuffed.
You know what else is great about this bowl? The opportunity for variety – to change up the ingredients each time you make it, so it never gets old.
This is a lunchtime staple in our house (although it does land on the dinner table now and again) and if you’re anything like me, you get bored of eating the same thing all the time. It’s nice to have a simple yet delicious lunch item with the opportunity to mix it up each time you make it.
Although this doesn’t take very long to throw together, there are ways to speed up the process!
Let’s look at why you’ll love it, the ingredients, options for changing it up a bit and look at ways to make it as fast as possible for those of you that are on the go!
Why You’ll Love this Southwest Chicken Bowl
- It’s quick and easy to throw together.
- Many of the ingredients are flexible, allowing you to make it just how you like it.
- You won’t get tired of this dish because you can make it different each time by changing just a few ingredients.
- You’ll love the taste of the slightly nuttiness of the red beans and rice with the juicy chicken and zippy salsa ranch.
- The green chilies and jalapenos add the perfect flavor punch to the bowl and come in mild, hot and everything in between, catering to your spice preference.
What’s in the Bowl?
Rice
Brown rice is a healthier option with more nutritional value. It’s even a complex carb that you don’t have to feel guilty about! The nutty flavor and hearty texture are great in this meal.
- Change it up: Try using long-grain white rice. Jasmine is a fluffy variety that you’ll enjoy when you feel like shaking things up a bit.
- Speed it up: Either try a microwavable option or make the rice ahead of time. I like to make more rice than I need for one meal and use leftovers for different meals. If you decide to make it ahead, make sure to add a touch of water before rewarming to keep it moist.
Beans
The red beans are also slightly nutty in flavor and thus match up well with the brown rice, creating a winning combination.
- Change it up: When you want to do something a little different, black beans are also a great choice and their mild flavor goes great with either brown or white rice.
Green Chilies
Diced, canned green chilies are a quick choice, and you can choose from mild or hot, depending on your spice level preference.
Tomatoes
There are so many tomato options that will work here, so choose your favorite, but I highly recommend a Roma or a red grape tomato.
Jalapenos
Mild or medium pickled jalapenos have great flavor and zip and are the go-to choice for this tasty little bowl. It adds great zing in addition to a slight, but not overpowering kick. Fresh is always an option. Fresh jalapenos have the potential to be completely mild or crazy mouth-on-fire hot, so I’ll leave that decision up to you!
Black Olives
Sliced black olives add great taste, but also texture to the bowl.
Avocado
Yum! You’ll love the mild, buttery, creaminess the avocado adds to the dish.
***I saw a meme while back about how avocados are ripe for such a short period of time and it’s so true. If you need a quick chuckle, just Google “Avocado Ripeness Memes” and you’ll be in stitches in no time! You must use avocados at just the right time or they’re either hard as a rock or brown and mushy. Choose an avocado that’s firm with a little give when pressed on and is a little darker in color, just losing its green skin. You can bring them home rock hard and wait for them to ripen up but avoid getting anything super soft.
Cheese
A shredded medium cheddar is delightful. I mean, who doesn’t like cheddar?
- Change it up: There are several opportunities to change the flavor of the Southwest chicken bowl by changing the cheese. Pepper Jack is always a good one if you want to add to the zip and zing of the jalapenos. Cotija is a delicious crumbly Mexican cheese you’ll enjoy as well!
Chicken
The healthiest option is lean shredded chicken breast.
- Speed it up: Purchasing and de-boning a rotisserie chicken is an option, or many grocery stores even offer pre-shredded rotisserie chicken breast or cooked and sliced chicken breast. Just like the rice, making it ahead of time is also an option. If you decide to do so, make sure to avoid overcooking it so it doesn’t end up rubber-like or dry when re-warmed. Another tasty option, although not as healthy, is using dark meat. With a greater fat content, it stays moist when rewarmed.
Salsa Ranch
This is exactly as it sounds. Mix your favorite red salsa with your favorite gluten free ranch. I often use a dairy free ranch too as I do better going easy on the lactose. A medium smoky red chipotle salsa is a great choice!
- Change it up: Another thing you can do to mix it up is use green salsa. Try a zesty, medium tomatillo salsa for some great flavor!
- Speed it up: There are some salad dressing brands that make salsa ranch or something similar like “Zesty Ranch” or “Chipotle Ranch.” Although I prefer to use my favorite salsas, these options also pair well with the bowl.
Cilantro
Many love their bowl topped with this fresh, citrusy garden herb with the most intoxicating fragrance. Seriously, it’s so good! I used to walk around the grocery store with my nose in the bag. BUTTTTT, did you know there’s a gene that makes cilantro taste like soap to some people? Are you one of those people? Let me know in the comments.
How to Make this Southwest Chicken Bowl
- First, I add the rice and beans in the bottom of the bowl as the base.
- Next, I add the veggies (chiles, tomatoes, black olives, jalapenos and avocado) on top.
- Then I add the warm, juicy chicken breast on top of the veggies.
- I then mix the salsa and ranch in a separate bowl and spread it over the top of the ingredients. and hold myself back from digging in because it looks so delicious.
- Finally, I top it with the cheese and cilantro, taking a big whiff of the best smelling, fragrant herb ever and dig in!
Prepping, Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Making Ahead
I recommend making and prepping as many of the ingredients ahead of time, but not combining the ingredients until you’re ready to consume the bowl. Of course, the avocado is best when chopped just before serving.
Storing the Leftover Southwest Chicken Bowl Ingredients
When making this dish, it’s best to prepare only as much as you’ll eat and then store leftover ingredients separately in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you have leftover avocado, leave the pit in, and add a little lemon or lime juice on the exposed flesh. Store in a baggie, removing as much air as possible.
Reheating Leftovers
Chicken, rice, and beans can be reheated in the microwave separately. Adding a little water to the rice before reheating helps rehydrate it so it’s soft and moist. Adding a slightly wet paper towel to the top of the chicken and reheating briefly helps keep the chicken from drying out.
I hope you enjoy this Southwest Chicken Bowl as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Easy Healthy Summer Southwest Chicken Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Brown Rice, Prepared
- ½ Cup Red Beans, Canned, Rinsed
- ¼ Cup Green Chilies, Canned, Diced
- ½ Cup Tomatoes, Chopped
- ¼ Cup Olives, Sliced
- ¼ Cup Jalapenos, Finely Chopped, Pickled or Fresh
- 1 Small Avocado, Chopped
- ½ Cup Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
- 2 Cups Chicken Breast, Prepared, Diced or Shredded
- ¾ Cup Salsa
- ¼ Cup Ranch Dressing
- ¼ Cup Cilantro, Chopped
Instructions
- First place ½ cup of rice and 2 TBSP of beans (warmed) in the bottom of each of the four bowls as the base.
- Next add 1 TBSP green chilies, 2 TBSP chopped tomatoes,1 TBSP of sliced black olives, 1 TBSP of chopped jalapenos, and ¼ of one small avocado in each bowl.
- Then to each bowl, add ½ cup of the warm chicken breast.
- In a separate bowl, mix ¾ cup of salsa and ¼ cup of ranch dressing until well combined.
- Next add ¼ cup of salsa ranch per bowl, spooning evenly on top of the ingredients.
- Lastly, top each bowl with 2 TBSP cheese and 1TBSP of cilantro and enjoy!
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Comments
This is the perfect summer lunch. I made it yesterday and had it again for lunch today! I actually am one of those strange people who don’t like cilantro… but I had no idea it was my genetics that made it taste soapy! I need to look into that! Anyway, I just added some lettuce and it was perfect. Will make again for sure (probably tomorrow!)