The secret isn’t one ingredient – it’s getting every layer right. A proper sear on the chicken. Rice that stays light and fluffy. Corn with real caramelized flavor. Guacamole with texture instead of turning it into a puree.
Put it all together and you get that smoky, creamy, fresh, bright restaurant-style burrito bowl flavor at home.
Ingredients
Chicken marinade:
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs — 1 lb | 450 g
- Chipotle pepper in adobo — 1 pepper
- Chipotle adobo sauce — 2 tsp
- Garlic — 2 cloves
- Extra virgin olive oil — ¼ cup | 60 ml
- Lime juice — ½ lime
- Honey — 1 tsp
- Ground cumin — 1 tsp
- Dried oregano — 1 tsp
- Chili powder / cayenne — 1 tsp
- Sea salt — 1 tsp
- Black pepper — 1 tsp
If you don’t have chipotle in adobo, use this easy marinade instead.
Guacamole
- Ripe Hass avocados — 2–3
- Red onion — ½
- Garlic — 1 clove
- Jalapeño, with seeds — ½
- Fresh cilantro — 2 tbsp
- Chili powder / cayenne — ½ tsp
- Sea salt — 1 tsp
- Lime juice — 1 lime
Pico de gallo
- Tomato — 1
- Red onion — ½
- Jalapeño, seeded — ½
- Fresh cilantro — ¼ cup
- Lime juice — ½ lime
- Sea salt — ½ tsp
- Chili powder / cayenne — ¼ tsp
Corn salsa
- Sweet yellow corn — 2 ears
- Extra virgin olive oil — 2 tbsp
- Jalapeño, chopped — 1 tsp
- Fresh cilantro — 2 tbsp
- Lime juice — ½ lime
- Salt — 1 tsp
Black beans
- Black beans — 1 can (15 oz) | 425 g can
- Extra virgin olive oil — 1 tbsp
- Red onion — ¼ cup | 40 g
- Jalapeño — 1 tbsp
- Salt — 1 tsp
- Ground cumin — ½ tsp
- Lime — ½
Cilantro-lime rice
- Long-grain rice — 1 cup | 200 g
- Water — 1½ cups | 360 ml
- Salt — 1 tsp
- Olive oil — 1 tsp
- Fresh cilantro — ¼ cup | 15 g
- Lime — ½
- Fresh lime zest — optional
How to make burrito bowl
- Marinate the chicken with chipotle in adobo, garlic, lime, honey, oregano, salt, and pepper for at least 30 minutes.
- Cook in a hot skillet without overcrowding so the chicken sears instead of steaming.
- Rinse the long grain rice well, cook until tender, then let it rest covered before finishing with cilantro and lime.
- Make chunky guacamole with avocado, jalapeño, onion, cilantro, and plenty of fresh lime.
- Finely dice the pico de gallo ingredients and mix gently so everything stays fresh and crisp.
- Let the corn sit against the hot pan long enough to caramelize and develop a little char.
- Warm the black beans with onion, jalapeño, cumin, and lime.
- Build your bowl and serve while the chicken, rice, corn, and beans are warm, with a spoonful of sour cream and a lime wedge on the side.
Smoky. Creamy. Fresh. A little spicy. And every layer actually brings something to the bowl.