Now that you’ve tried our recipe for 1-Pan Mexican Shredded Chicken, let’s make dinner with it!
These grain-free burrito bowls have our hearts. They’re relatively quick and easy to make, require 10 ingredients you likely have on hand right now, and are incredibly satisfying and versatile.
Shall we?
Origins of Burritos
It’s not clear when or who invented the burrito, but there are several theories that place its roots in Mexican cuisine. The concept seems to have later been introduced to the US around the 1950s and has since boomed in popularity and taken on many forms. I mean, how can you go wrong with delicious ingredients stuffed in a tortilla?
Our inspired burrito bowl version skips the tortilla and loads up on all the fillings instead!
How to Make a Burrito Bowl
You can make a burrito bowl literally however you want. But here’s the loose formula for how we build ours:
- Grain: White rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice (Green Rice would be amazing, too!)
- Protein: Shredded Mexican Chicken (omit and double up on beans if vegan / vegetarian)
- Legume: Black beans (or, let’s be real, canned) simmered with sea salt and spices and slightly smashed for a “refried bean” effect
- Veggies: Stir-fried peppers and onions + roasted sweet potatoes
- Sauce: Fresh salsa (or, let’s be real, store-bought)
- Guac: Our favorite garlicky guacamole
- Garnish: Fresh cilantro
Bam. Dinner’s on the table fast.
For this grain-free bowl, we opt for cauliflower rice seasoned with simple spices, sea salt, and cooked until just tender.
Black beans simmer with spices and salt and are slightly smashed for a refried bean texture.
Peppers and onions are stir fried until just tender and slightly charred while sweet potatoes roast. And guac is smashed (and heavily sampled before dinner).
We hope you LOVE this burrito bowl! It’s:
Quick & easy to make
Customizable (switch up your veggies, proteins, and sauces!)
BIG on flavor
Satisfying yet not heavy
& utterly delicious
This would make the perfect weeknight meal when you want something that’s satisfying and wholesome on the table fast. It’s also great for a crowd of mixed eaters because it can cater to meat-eaters and vegans alike! Serve as a stand-alone meal or alongside some of these delicious Mexican-Inspired Dishes!
More Bowl Inspo
- Greek Goddess Bowls
- Ultimate Mediterranean Bowl
- Smoky Tempeh Burrito Bowl
- Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl
- Quinoa Chickpea Buddha Bowl
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Grain-Free Burrito Bowls with Shredded Mexican Chicken
Ingredients
CHICKEN
- 1 batch Shredded Mexican Chicken* (if vegan or vegetarian, omit and double quantity of beans)
SWEET POTATOES
- 1 medium sweet potato, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 1 tsp avocado oil (or other neutral-flavored oil with high smoke point)
BEANS
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, slightly drained (NOT rinsed)
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (adjust to taste)
THE REST
- 1 tsp avocado oil (or other neutral-flavored oil with high smoke point)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced (stems / seeds removed)
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- Sea salt to taste
CAULIFLOWER RICE
- 1 medium head cauliflower (riced)
- 1 tsp avocado oil (or other neutral-flavored oil with high smoke point)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- Sea salt to taste
- 2 Tbsp lime juice (optional)
FOR SERVING optional
- 1 batch Garlicky Guacamole (or sub store bought)
- Tortilla chips (we like Siete brand or Plantain Chips for grain-free)
- Red salsa (or sub store-bought)
- Hot sauce (or sub store-bought)
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
- If serving with chicken, prepare at this time (follow link for instructions). Cover to keep warm until serving.
- In the meantime, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add sliced sweet potatoes and toss with a little oil to coat. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender.
- In the meantime, add slightly drained black beans to a small saucepan or pot and heat over medium heat. Add spices and salt and stir to coat. Once simmering, reduce heat to low, cover, and continue cooking until the beans are bubbly and hot and the liquid has reduced a bit. OPTIONAL: Mash with a potato masher or the back of your mixing spoon for more of a refried bean texture.
- In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add oil, peppers, onions, and a pinch of salt to taste. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and light golden brown — about 5 minutes. Turn off heat but leave resting on burner to keep warm until serving.
- Next, prepare cauliflower rice in a food processor or using a box grater (methods detailed here) and heat a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot add oil, cauliflower rice, spices, and salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until slightly tender and very lightly browned — about 3-4 minutes. Add lime juice (optional) and stir. Turn off heat, cover, and set aside until serving.
- To serve, divide cauliflower rice between serving bowls and top with roasted sweet potatoes, shredded chicken, black beans, peppers and onions, and any other desired toppings or garnishes such as guacamole, cilantro, salsa, and tortilla chips (garnishes/toppings optional).
- Store cooled leftovers (guacamole, herbs, and salsa separate) in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. (NOTE: Cauliflower rice doesn’t reheat well after freezing, so consider making fresh upon serving). Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Allison K. says
What veg would be a good sub for the red bell pepper? Bell peppers tear my stomach up. Thanks!
Hi Allison, we’d suggest zucchini or more onion. Hope that helps!
Allison K. says
Thank you for the response!! I love zucchini, never would have thought to use that. Thank you!
=) Enjoy!
Liz says
Found this recipe on the “ find me gluten free “ email. Great recipe , made it tonight with rice vs cauliflower rice but will try that next. Added some steamed broccoli and will make it again !
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Liz!
Holley says
Fabulous recipe. Fresh flavors, lots of color and plant variety. I will definitely repeat it.
Thanks so much for the updated review, Holley! xo
Holley says
Thank you so much for all of your wonderful recipes. This was amazing in flavor, color and variety of ingredients. After eating it, we felt really great!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Holley. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo
Candice says
I made this for dinner last night and everyone was raving how AMAZING it was. Really great mix of spices that I’ve never been as adventurous with which has made me feeling much more excited about cooking :) wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you!
Aw, we love hearing that, Candice! Thanks so much for sharing!
Danica says
This was super SCRUMPTIOUS!! I’ve been introducing new healthy meals to my family and they have been hesitant, but this recipe was a HIT!! Everyone was going MMMmmm. “This is as good as chiptole, you need to make this more often.” and “This is REALLY good.” My pickiest brother who normally doesn’t care for what I make said that he wanted this meal for this birthday! I just loved how half my plate was veggies but still tasted SO good!
Whoop! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing, Danica! xo
Danica says
I made this for my family and EVERYONE loved it!! They kept on telling me that I need to make it more often and I definatley heard some MMMmmm.. It’s unbelievable how tasty this can be when literally half the plate is just veggies!! This is AMAZING!!
Yay! Thanks so much for sharing, Danica! xo
Kedi says
Thank you for another addition to my rotation!!! I made double the brown rice so that I could skip that step when making it a second day. I love how endlessly customizable this recipe is. It tastes great no matter what tweaks I make. This website has given me so much to look forward to during quarantine. Adapting your recipes to make use of random CSA produce and cooking at home twice a day has given my life some purpose in a time when I feel like I’m just in free fall. This is seriously the only recipe blog I need. I’m truly SO grateful for this resource!
Aw, we’re so glad you are enjoying our recipes, Kedi! Thank you so much for the lovely review! xo
CW says
Good but this is NOT fast
Nickia says
The burrito bowl was delicious! I couldn’t believe how good the cauliflower rice was. And the refried beans was fantastic!?
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Nickia! Thanks for sharing!
Loni says
Does the calorie count in this recipe include the chicken?
Yes
Brandi says
I made this tonight and it was phenomenal! Mashing the black beans was a great call and I also added some plain Greek yogurt as a faux sour cream. Will be making this again!
Alison says
So good!
Isabella says
Unbelievably delicious! That chicken is incredible! My friends are still talking about it, it’s been a month!
Yay! Thanks, Isabella! It’s a favorite around here, too!
Pamela says
Is the Trans fat nutritional value right? It has Trans fat: 11.4g listed. I think that everyone knows that Trans fat is the worst fat you can consume. It there is 11.4g Trans fat would you please let me know what ingredient I should leave out or sub to eliminate that fat.
I have to say I love the fact that you list the choices that would be good sub it you don’t like a certain item that is greatly appreciated.
We’ll amend! That isn’t correct.
Fabio says
Hi Dana, sorry to hijack this thread a little but I was very surprised by the meat recipes coming online recently. I have to thank you for a million inspirations in my cooking over the years I have frequented your site but as a vegan I was baffled by the introduction of chicken. Have you written anything anywhere about your reasoning to do so? I’m not a zealot, so I’ll be continuing to browse your site, however, I have to tell you that it lost a lot of appeal as it is not a site anymore where I can blindly endulge myself in any recipe without the need to double-check ingredients. Thoughts? Feel free to answer by email and delete this post if you wish.
Thanks for the question, Fabio. I haven’t written a blog post about why we re-introduced meat / eggs, as we mainly shared about that on our social channels. It’s largely to better support my health. I’m not going into more detail than that at this time.
Jasmin Vaughan says
Thanks for including some meat choices! :)
Monica M says
I love burrito bowls when eating out, but my trials at home have never been quite as good, until now! In fact, it was even better than take out. And the shredded mexican chicken – oh my! THANK YOU! This was delicious and will now be a regular for meal prep.
Whoop! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Monica!
Alexis says
Excited to try this! A general question: How has your stomach held up after making the switch to including meat? I became a vegetarian three years ago and my GI is not liking the amount of fiber involved. I am thinking of working meat back into my diet but am worried about the stomach aches. Do you have any tips/tricks?
Hi Alexis. I personally found that starting by adding small amounts of eggs and fish in small amounts and working up to greater quantities was best for me. But I would definitely recommend working your doctor as you transition your diet.
Allison says
Yum. I think the version I made was a cross between this one, your vegan plantain bowls and the jackfruit tacos because I added plantains and shredded jackfruit. Also used riced jicama to be grain free. Thanks for the recipes!
Thanks for sharing, Allison! Next time would you mind adding a rating to your review? It’s super helpful to us and other readers! xo
Patrick M.C. says
I saw this posted to Instagram a few days back and just got the chance to try it. I was a little concerned with how many moving parts there were (and would definitely be sure to do some more prep work the day before the next time I make this), but everything came together surprisingly easily. I added a bit more lime to the cauliflower rice and chicken than asked for, and the whole meal came out beautifully. I’m definitely looking forward to adding this to my regular rotation of meals!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Patrick! Yes, it looks like a lot but the more we make it the more effortless it feels!