Find yourself in a food rut? These Cilantro Lime Chicken Bowls from Jessica Merchant’s new cookbook, Easy Everyday will knock you out of it.
The best part is that it all can be prepped ahead of time.
See?
The Cilantro Lime Dressing is enlightening! I almost always have cilantro in our fridge, so I can see this becoming a good habit.
Cilantro lime dressing makes the rice so flavorful. I want to put it on everything.
Welcome to my meal prep rotation!
Ingredients for the cilantro lime dressing.
Always do the garlic first in a mini food processor.
You’ll have little bits of cilantro in your dressing. The lime juice keeps it GREEN.
Take half of the dressing and marinate the chicken with it. I used my vacuum sealer to aid the process.
Marinate it for a few hours or overnight.
Let’s assemble.
Stir the dressing into the rice. Since I used this rice from meal prep, I reheated it before assembling the bowls.
Instant cilantro rice!
Drizzle some over the top of everything.
So flavorful!
Thank you for this winner, Jessica!
I turned leftovers into a salad!
If you love cilantro + lime together, try my Cilantro Limeade. It would be a great pairing with this dish.
Cilantro Lime Chicken Bowls
serves 2-4
recipe slightly adapted from Easy Everyday
Cilantro Lime Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1½ tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
In a blender or food processor, combine the lime juice, honey, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and olive oil. Blend until combined and smooth. Store in a sealed container. Lasts for a few days in the fridge. (makes about 1/2 cup)
For the bowls:
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta
- a squeeze of fresh lime juice
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 batch Cilantro Lime Dressing (see above)
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta
- 1 avocado, chopped
- Quick-pickled onions
- Kosher salt and black pepper (optional)
Toss the tomatoes and feta with lime juice in a small bowl. Season with salt & pepper and set aside.
Place the chicken in a baking dish or resealable bag. Pour half of the chees lime dressing over the chicken, making sure each piece is coated. Cover the chicken and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours (you can marinate overnight). Place the remaining dressing in the fridge. Remove the chicken from the fridge about 20 minutes before you’re ready to make it. Preheat the grill to the highest heat for at least 10 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and let any excess drip off. Place chicken on the grates and grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until the is temperature reaches 165°F.
Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing or chopping it.
To assemble the meal, place the rice in a large bowl. Drizzle in some of cilantro lime dressing and toss well. Divide the rice among two or four bowls. Top each bowl with some of the grilled chicken, tomato salad, avocado and pickled onions. Drizzle with any extra dressing on top of the bowls.
