As many of you know, I spend a few hours every Sunday making packed lunches for my boyfriend. This week, I decided to try something completely different, inspired by the Chipotle kick we’ve both been on for the past week. Here’s the catch, though: my boyfriend hates cilantro. He has the olfactory gene group that makes the (delicious!) herb taste like soap, so we almost never eat it. I love improvising, though! So I picked something that would mesh just as well with the flavors… and that also happened to be in my pantry already: oregano! And for a one-two sucker punch, he’s also very lactose intolerant. So… no dairy either! (Although you are more than welcome to add cheese and sour cream to your heart’s content when you make this for yourself… I always do!)
Like all of my recipes, this is in no way an authentic Chipotle meal, but it definitely hits the spot when you’ve got the craving and don’t want to spend the $25 it takes to have a single salad or burrito bowl delivered to your apartment. Yes, I’m speaking from experience.
This recipe makes four generous helpings, and is perfect as a healthy and filling packed lunch throughout the week!
Chicken Ingredients:
- 2-3 large chicken breasts
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp oregano
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp cayenne
- ½ tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime) (reserved)
Vegetable Ingredients:
- 3 bell peppers
- 6 portobello caps
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ tbsp salt
- ½ tbsp black pepper
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp lime juice (about ½ lime)
Rice Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups uncooked rice
- 4 cups water
- ½ tbsp oregano
- 2 tsp lime zest (about 1 lime)
- 1 tbsp lime juice (about ½ lime)
- 1 tsp salt
Garnishes (Optional):
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese
Directions:
- Add all chicken marinade ingredients (except chicken and lime juice) into a large glass or plastic bowl and mix thoroughly until combined.
- Add chicken breasts, making sure they are covered in the marinade completely.
- Cover and store in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or overnight). When your chicken is done marinating, begin step 4.
- Heat grill to medium-high/high heat. (We have an electric indoor grill because we live in an apartment, so I put it on the highest setting. I’m not sure how hot outdoor grills get, though–hence the temperature distinction.)
- Slice peppers into quarters (so you have large, somewhat flat pieces) and clean/remove stems from mushrooms.
- In a medium plastic or glass bowl, combine all vegetable marinade ingredients (except peppers and mushrooms) and mix. Add peppers and mushrooms, making sure they are covered in the marinade. Set aside. (Tip: Vegetables don’t need very long to marinate, because if left for too much time they will become soggy. The few minutes it takes to cook your chicken is enough for them to absorb the flavor!)
- Remove chicken from marinade and place on the heated grill. Let cook for 5 minutes, then flip. Baste the cooked side with the remaining marinade. Let cook for 5 minutes, then flip again. Baste with ½ tbsp lime juice.
- Continue flipping chicken every 5 minutes, basting with ½ tbsps of lime juice on each side until chicken is cooked through (it’s internal temperature reaches 160F) and each side has a nice crosshatch of black grill marks.
- Remove chicken from grill and set aside on a cutting board or plate to rest. Cover with tinfoil to keep warm.
- Place peppers skin-side down on grill and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until blackened spots have formed. Flip and cook for an additional 7-10 minutes.
- Remove and set aside in a dish or bowl. Cover to keep warm.
- Place portobello mushrooms on the grill, underside (grill side) down. Cook for 5 minutes, flip, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. (Note: if your grill is big enough, feel free to cook all of the vegetables at the same time, although be wary of the different cook times! My grill is small, so I did everything in batches.)
- Remove and set aside with the peppers, again covered to keep warm.
- Rinse uncooked rice grains in cold water until the water runs clear.
- In a medium sauce pot, combine uncooked rice, water, oregano, lime zest, and lime juice. Stir gently so the spices are somewhat distributed.
- Cover pot and turn burner to medium heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the rice from burning on the bottom. (Note: You can cook the rice whenever you want throughout this process. I had mine going while I was grilling the mushrooms, because both cook times were relatively similar.)
- Slice chicken, peppers, and mushrooms in to strips. Divide each into fourths and begin filling your glass or plastic tupperware containers!
I put a layer of rice on the bottom and then lined up everything in even groups with a generous helping of guacamole for each day (as seen in the picture). Add cheese, too, if that’s your thing! If you plan to serve with salsa and/or sour cream, I recommend putting those in separate, smaller containers (shot glass mason jars are perfect for this) so they don’t make the meals soggy while they sit in the refrigerator all week.
This recipe keeps in the fridge for five days and is absolutely delicious both cold and reheated in the microwave!
Blackened Chicken Meal Prep Bowls
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
Chicken Ingredients:
- 2-3 large chicken breasts
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp oregano
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp cayenne
- ½ tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp lime juice about 1 lime
Vegetable Ingredients:
- 3 bell peppers
- 6 portobello caps
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ tbsp salt
- ½ tbsp black pepper
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp lime juice about ½ lime
Rice Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups uncooked rice
- 4 cups water
- ½ tbsp oregano
- 2 tsp lime zest about 1 lime
- 1 tbsp lime juice about ½ lime
- 1 tsp salt
Garnishes (Optional):
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese
Instructions
- Add all chicken marinade ingredients (except chicken and lime juice) into a large glass or plastic bowl and mix thoroughly until combined.
- Add chicken breasts, making sure they are covered in the marinade completely.
- Cover and store in the fridge for at least 2 hours (or overnight). When your chicken is done marinating, begin step 4.
- Heat grill to medium-high/high heat. (We have an electric indoor grill because we live in an apartment, so I put it on the highest setting. I’m not sure how hot outdoor grills get, though–hence the temperature distinction.)
- Slice peppers into quarters (so you have large, somewhat flat pieces) and clean/remove stems from mushrooms.
- In a medium plastic or glass bowl, combine all vegetable marinade ingredients (except peppers and mushrooms) and mix. Add peppers and mushrooms, making sure they are covered in the marinade. Set aside.*
- Remove chicken from marinade and place on the heated grill. Let cook for 5 minutes, then flip. Baste the cooked side with the remaining marinade. Let cook for 5 minutes, then flip again. Baste with ½ tbsp lime juice.
- Continue flipping chicken every 5 minutes, basting with ½ tbsps of lime juice on each side until chicken is cooked through (it’s internal temperature reaches 160F) and each side has a nice crosshatch of black grill marks.
- Remove chicken from grill and set aside on a cutting board or plate to rest. Cover with tinfoil to keep warm.
- Place peppers skin-side down on grill and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until blackened spots have formed. Flip and cook for an additional 7-10 minutes.
- Remove and set aside in a dish or bowl. Cover to keep warm.
- Place portobello mushrooms on the grill, underside (grill side) down. Cook for 5 minutes, flip, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.**
- Remove and set aside with the peppers, again covered to keep warm.
- Rinse uncooked rice grains in cold water until the water runs clear.
- In a medium sauce pot, combine uncooked rice, water, oregano, lime zest, and lime juice. Stir gently so the spices are somewhat distributed.
- Cover pot and turn burner to medium heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the rice from burning on the bottom.***
- Slice chicken, peppers, and mushrooms in to strips. Divide each into fourths and begin filling your glass or plastic tupperware containers!
Notes
- *Vegetables don’t need very long to marinate, because if left for too much time they will become soggy. The few minutes it takes to cook your chicken is enough for them to absorb the flavor!
- **If your grill is big enough, feel free to cook all of the vegetables at the same time, although be wary of the different cook times! My grill is small, so I did everything in batches.
- ***You can cook the rice whenever you want throughout this process. I had mine going while I was grilling the mushrooms, because both cook times were relatively similar.
