Description
Mexican-inspired slow burrito bowls deliver a hearty, flavor-packed meal that brings zesty comfort to your dinner table. Packed with tender meats, aromatic rice, and fresh toppings, this dish promises a satisfying culinary journey you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 1 to 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or a mix
Grains and Beans:
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
Seasonings and Liquids:
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
Optional Toppings:
- shredded cheese
- chopped cilantro
- sour cream
- diced avocado
- salsa
- hot sauce
- diced green onions
- shredded lettuce
Instructions
- Place chicken, diced tomatoes with juices, chicken broth, chili powder, salt, and cumin into a slow cooker, ensuring the chicken is completely submerged in liquid.
- Cover and set the slow cooker to LOW, allowing the chicken to cook thoroughly for 3 to 4 hours until tender and easily shreddable.
- Gently fold in black beans, rice, and corn kernels, maintaining an even distribution throughout the mixture.
- Continue cooking on LOW setting for an additional 3 to 4 hours, monitoring rice texture and liquid levels carefully.
- During the final hour of cooking, stir the contents periodically to prevent rice from sticking and promote uniform cooking.
- If excess liquid remains when rice reaches desired tenderness, uncover and switch to HIGH setting to facilitate liquid reduction.
- Remove chicken and use two forks to meticulously shred meat into bite-sized morsels.
- Reintegrate shredded chicken into rice mixture or serve separately according to preference.
- Taste the burrito bowl and fine-tune seasoning with additional spices or salt as needed.
- Serve hot, garnishing with optional toppings like fresh cilantro, sour cream, or sliced avocado.
Notes
- Optimal Cooking Time: Plan for a total of 6-8 hours in the slow cooker to ensure tender chicken and perfectly cooked rice.
- Liquid Management: Monitor moisture levels during cooking, adding extra chicken broth if the mixture appears dry to prevent burning.
- Chicken Preparation: Use two forks to easily shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces after cooking, ensuring even distribution throughout the bowl.
- Customization Freedom: Keep shredded chicken separate from the rice mixture for personalized serving preferences.
- Rice Texture Tip: Stir rice occasionally in the final cooking hour to guarantee even cooking and prevent sticking.
- Seasoning Adjustment: Taste the final dish and modify seasonings to suit individual flavor preferences before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg