While I am most certainly committed to making the healthiest and nutritional foods I can for my family I am also all about quick and easy. Like most moms, I’m a busy lady. I’ve got a list of stuff to do a mile long and a list of stuff I want to do about ten miles long. *sigh* It is what it is.
So when I find a recipe that I love or just want to try, it never fails that I will use whatever shortcuts I can to make it easier, cleaner, and quicker. So when I came across this recipe for a crock pot version chicken burrito bowl, I was all set to throw it in the crock pot yesterday morning. (That’s my kinda easy!) Only… I forgot.
So at 3 o’clock in the afternoon I realized that I was gonna have to do the stove top version. But by 4:30, 30 minutes before the mister arrives home, I just knew I was putting off this meal because I didn’t want to cut up a crudload of chicken breast to feed the seven of us. (ugh. I hate raw meat.) So what did I do? I did what I do best – improvise and fly by the seat of my pants.
My two big changes for this recipe – instant rice (What would I do without you, instant rice? My family would never eat rice if it wasn’t for you!) and canned chicken.
Here’s my take on this fabulous recipe. One pot and quicker than just about anything else I have ever cooked.
*note – anytime you substitute ingredients, especially quick versions, I admit you always lose some quality. So please, please, make sure you try these two original recipes here and here. I KNOW they are better than mine.*
Ingredients:
- 2 cans of canned chicken breast, drained
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 5 – 5 1/2 cups of instant white rice
- 1 (28.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
- 1 (16 oz.) jar of chunky salsa
- 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained
- 1 (15 oz.) can whole kernal corn, drained
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- approx. 2 cups of chicken broth (enough liquid to make the mixture juicy but not covering all the ingredients)
- colby shredded cheese for garnish
- optional garnishes include avocado, green onions, salsa, spicy ranch dressing, sour cream
First of all – this makes a TON. There’s seven of us and we’re pretty hungry people. All the time. But honestly, we ended up eating about 2/3 of this and had the rest for lunch the next day. It was still just as yummy at lunch too, by the way.
Cooking instructions:
With 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sauté the onions for a few minutes.
Add the chicken and spices, plus a few turns on the grinders of salt and pepper. This goes quick. Stir it all together so that the chicken is nicely coated. Keep it moving or it will burn. I find adding the spices at this point does a lot for the flavor of the chicken.
Next, move your chicken to one side and add the other tablespoon of oil then the rice. Stir the rice to coat it with oil and get it warm. Blend in with the chicken.
Add your tomatoes and salsa and stir.
Add the beans and corn to the mix.
At this point, add enough chicken broth to make the mixture moist and juicy but not soupy. This might take some practice to get right because I imagine it’s knowledge that only comes from cooking lots of instant rice. *yes, I am THAT girl.*
Put the lid on let it cook on low heat. Give it a stir every few minutes for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit on the stove until the rice is done. Now is a good time to prepare your garnishes and get the dishes ready. By the time you finish that your meal will be all done!
This is seriously super fast. I was really surprised at how quick it was ready and ended up letting it sit awhile so we could finish up an activity. Oops! Miscalculation on my part! Better than late, right?
If you give this a try let me know what you think. If you change something, I’d love to know what you did differently. I’m always up for new recipes. And don’t forget to check out Melissa’s original recipes at No. 2 Pencil!
