One thing we have missed being out here in Del Rio is quick access to our beloved Chipotle. Thick, juicy, quality chicken breasts so elegantly marinated, fluffy, well seasoned rice, fresh, sweet pico de gallo, lettuce, soft, melty cheese, and the best part...the sour cream and guacamole! Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is, I might need to take a snack break before continuing...
Though I would never in a million years say I could come close to replicating this delectable masterpiece, I think I have come up with a dish that may fill the void for now :). My husband is the major Chipotle lover in this home. He actually did the Chipotle road trip up to the original in Colorado simply to try a Chipotle burrito from it's original source. He's dedicated! If this bowl is made right, you might get the same reaction as he did..which is really nothing more than a groan, followed by a yummy dance (yes this full grown man does have a yummy dance) followed by complete silence until every last morsel has been cleaned. The only thing I might change if I'm really inspired one day is to add a corn salsa for a hint more sweetness. With all the Sriracha we drizzled on top, it hits the mark on spice :).
We love tacos, but the brown rice is a much safer bet, as it's very hard to find tortillas, even corn tortillas, that don't come with bad oils in the ingredients. When I mention bad oils, there are a host of oils in a particular evil family that are toxic to our health. Research is showing more and more that certain oils and toxic ingredients found in nearly ALL of our packaged food products are causing our diabetes, Alzheimer's, infertility, obesity, as well as many cancers. To "loose weight" and increase sales and productivity we have virtually replaced nearly all of the natural sugars and animal fats that some of us STILL believe are the cause of our weight gain with very toxic ingredients that are not only making the weight problem worst, but causing numerous other detrimental problems to our health as well. Chris Kresser is one doctor in particular I have followed a good amount that seems to be right on the money on this issue. I recommend reading this article he wrote to get a better idea of where I am coming from with my passion against toxins found in processed foods.
Rice Bowl Ingredients
makes enough for about 4 bowls1 can organic* black beans
2 cups un-cooked brown rice
1 tbsp organic* butter
1 tbsp cilantro
juice from one small lime
salt and pepper to taste
3 whole (hormone and antibiotic free*) chicken breasts, or 1 1/4-1/2 lbs
2 tbsp avocado oil (or high smoke point oil, avocado oil is the healthiest option I have found to remain stable at high
temperatures, and the flavor tastes great with the dish.)
Marinade Ingredients
2 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp avocado oil
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 serrano pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Extras
1 cup shredded organic* cheddar cheese (I recommend buying a block of quality cheese and shredding it, good cheese
makes a huge difference in the overall flavor of the dish, and the anti-caking agents they use in pre-shredded cheese
changes the texture considerably, plus it's another chemical we probably could do without :)).
2 diced organic* vine tomatoes
4 tbsp diced red onion
Organic* Romain Lettuce cut into ribbons
juice from one small lime
sour cream
My homemade guacamole recipe
Sriracha sauce drizzled on top
Preparation
Take out your 3 whole chicken breasts 8 hours to a day ahead of time, and butterfly them. By that, I mean cut them in half lengthwise to make them thinner so they soak up more marinade, as you see in the picture. Don't pound these ones out, as it will change their texture.
Then, mix up the ingredients for the marinade into a bowl, and pour the marinade into a ziplock bag. Put the chicken breast halves in the ziplock with the marinade and let sit in the refrigerator for 8 hours to a day before you plan on making it for dinner.
About 40 mins before you plan on eating, make the guacamole, cook up the rice as it is said on the package, and take out your chicken.
Let the pan heat up, and add the avocado oil to the pan. Once the oil heats up, add the chicken to the pan, you should hear it sizzle if it's hot enough, and make sure there is a bit of space around each one, in other words, don't crowd the pan. Refrain from moving or flipping the chicken at all until it has remained on one side for about 2-3 mins so you get a nice sear before flipping it. After flipping, cook another 2-3 mins on the other side until you get a nice sear on that side as well. Remove chicken from pan when finished to a plate, and cover with foil until the rest is finished.
When rice finishes cooking, add a tablespoon of butter, and let it melt in the rice. Add the two tablespoons cilantro, and juice from one lime to the rice as well, and season rice with salt and pepper to taste. When I say to taste, I mean just sprinkle a bit, and actually taste it. Keep adding more until it doesn't taste bland, because if your rice tastes bland, the whole bowl will. Everyone has a different taste for how much salt they like in their food, so I don't always give exact measurements for salt.
To put the bowl together, put a fourth of the rice in the bottom of each bowl, add a fourth of the beans in each of the four bowls, drizzle shredded cheese on top of the beans so it melts, add a fourth each of the diced tomato to each of the bowls, add a tablespoon each of the red onion, sprinkle a generous portion of the lettuce ribbons, and squeeze a quarter each of the lime in each of the bowls on top of the lettuce. Then, slice the chicken breasts horizontally, and lay a generous helping of chicken in each bowl, top with a large spoonful of guacamole, and a spoonful of sour cream, then drizzle a good sized amount of Sriracha sauce over the whole thing. My husband and I like it with a good amount of spice, so we usually keep adding sriracha as we eat. Chipotle lovers, this meal is for you :). Soooo good!
*When I say to use organic ingredients, of course you can switch them out for non-organic, but to keep the integrity of my Naked Tomato blog, I will always encourage good quality organic ingredients and good for you oils, based upon the research I have done to hopefully inspire cleaner, fresher, tastier eating.
Source of chicken marinade recipe: Simply Recipes
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