Grilled Chicken Summer Rice Bowls.
We love these grilled chicken rice bowls! The chicken is juicy and flavorful, marinaed in cilantro lime dressing. The bowl is filled with corn, tomatoes, avocado and pickled onions. Super easy and leftovers are great!
Nothing beats a good summer bowl.
My grilled chicken rice bowls are what I make on Sundays or Mondays when I have NO idea what else to make. Marinated grilled chicken, jasmine rice, cilantro lime vinaigrette, juicy tomatoes, corn, pickled onions and avocado. Leftovers are incredible and the elements come together fast – especially if you have a few minutes to chop everything before.
These are a must-make!
I have shared so many incredible vinaigrettes with you guys over the years, but I’m often highlighting my absolute favorite ones. Since the recipes for the dressings often make more than you need, I always want to give you another option. Of course – leftovers are always a win.
But if I make a vinaigrette at the start of the week, I love having two different meals to use with it. It offers so much variety and really elevates my menu for the week, even if the menu is SIMPLE.
My goal is to highlight how versatile these vinaigrettes can be – whether they are used as marinade, a drizzle, a dressing or a dip!
That’s what these chicken bowls are all about!
For this recipe, I marinate the chicken in my cilantro lime marinade. It’s one of my favorites – if not my #1. If cilantro lime is NOT your favorite, I have a few other suggestions that work just as well.
You can marinate the chicken in this basil vinaigrette. This raspberry chipotle vinaigrette is also another option. This classic balsamic is a great one to use, and very picky-palate friendly. And finally, a classic apple cider vinegar can’t be beat. That one reminds me of a “house italian” dressing at restaurants, which, yes – are always slightly different but tend to have the same flavor profile.
The point is, almost any dressing will work. I even love to marinate my chicken in creamy dressings like ranch or blue cheese.
My choice for this bowl is usually the cilantro lime vinaigrette. It’s what I’m using here. I love how vibrantly green it is – it makes everything taste so incredibly fresh. And it looks super pretty too!
For the bowl itself, I like to cook jasmine rice. It’s so beautifully fragrant and our family’s favorite rice. Then I go to town with toppings!
My usual go-tos are:
Tomatoes – cherry or diced or whatever you have on hand.
Avocado – it’s so creamy and adds a satisfying element.
Corn – sometimes grilled or even cut straight from the cob! Sweet and crunchy.
Pickled onions – because they are always in my fridge.
Extra dressing – to make the whole bowl pop.
I LOVE the combination here. The hot, grilled chicken. The citrusy, herby vinaigrette. The jasmine rice which is light and chewy. Creamy avocado, crunchy corn, fresh tomatoes and those pickled onions with a tangy bite.
When I make this, sometimes I toss the entire thing together. Almost as if it is a rice casserole, just not baked with anything creamy. Or I leave it separate like the bowl above, and mix it while eating.
I will say that this is one of our ideal meals for leftovers or meal prepping. The only thing that doesn’t work is the avocado – add that as you go. Otherwise, the flavors are fantastic together. It’s one of those dishes you can eat warm or cold straight from the fridge. It lasts for days and gets better as it sits.
As usual, you can add in anything else you love. Some summer zucchini, extra roasted broccoli – anything that you have in the fridge and want to use up. That’s the beauty of it!
Grilled Chicken Summer Rice Bowls
Grilled Chicken Summer Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- ⅔ cup sweet corn, (off the cob, steamed, etc)
- 1 avocado, chopped
- quick pickled onions, for topping
- kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a bowl, baking dish or resealable bag.
- Combine the cilantro lime juice, honey, garlic, salt, pepper, pepper flakes and olive oil in a blender until combined. Pour half of the mixture over the chicken, making sure each piece is coated. Let it marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Place the extra dressing in the fridge. If I’m cooking the jasmine rice, this is where I prep it!
- Preheat the grill to high for at least 10 minutes. I like mine around 500 or 550 degrees!
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and let any excess drip off. Place the chicken on the grates and grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- While the chicken grills, I also like to throw some corn on the cob directly on the grill. I grill it for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. You can use corn straight from the cob, a steamed bag of frozen corn or canned - whatever you love!
- Let the chicken rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing or chopping it.
- To assemble the meal, place the rice in a bowl. Top with some of the grilled chicken, the corn, tomatoes, avocado and pickled onions. Drizzle with the extra dressing and sprinkle on salt and pepper (if needed) and serve. Enjoy!
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I appreciate you so much!
So colorful too!
8 Comments on “Grilled Chicken Summer Rice Bowls.”
You had me at cilantro lime dressing….so delicious and refreshing, we make it weekly for our rice/ orzo/ tortellini bowls, but the recipe is barely enough for 2 servings. Definitely 4 times the recipe, especially if you want any bit of extra leftover goodness. Any of your wonderful dressings should include a mason jar size recipe!!!
Made these tonight and my son absolutely loved them. The dressing is incredible. Only changes I made was to doubled the marinade recipe. I had to use agave instead of honey (all I had) and did not double the agave so it would not be too sweet. This is definitely going to be made often.
It is a nice recipe. Thx
Oh my, these were sooo good! Loved that cilantro lime dressing. These will be going on repeat.
Excellent. The cilantro lime honey vinaigrette is fantastic
Really enjoyed this! I was planning day-of, so I wasn’t able to do avocados for ripeness reasons, but I added chopped lettuce and black beans drained and cooked with leftover red onion, garlic, cumin, oregano & vegetable broth. The vinaigrette was delicious and versatile – it went with everything very well. The quick pickled onions were also a star – the excess pickling liquid also acted as a pleasant sauce.
This was amazing! We will be making again for Father’s Day lunch! Thank you!
I made a variation of this recipe, using your Cilantro Lime Vinagrette – it was fantastic! It was a very nice blend of flavors and worked perfectly, we will definitely be making it again.
Thank you for posting it!