Summertime is here and I have a chance to finally catch my breath after the most challenging school year most of us have ever had. I am loving all things grilled, fresh, and refreshing for dinner lately, and if you are anything like me you are too! This recipe takes a little more prep (not very much at all) than what I usually post but is filling, perfect for a hot summer evening, and absolutely delicious. It also makes a very generous portion so perfect to feed a family of four or to have leftovers for the next day!
A great thing about this recipe and something that is always a winner in my book is it is so versatile. You can use whatever meat or seafood you would like as your protein, switch up the grilled vegetables, and use whatever type of corn (or none at all) you like. You can also change the dressing to fit your taste buds, I would love to try this with the chipotle ranch the next time I make this for a little kick. For this particular bowl I used zucchini, red bell pepper, avocado, and a bag of Mexican street corn from the frozen section. It was what I had in the refrigerator and what will be growing in my garden this summer so I will most likely use this combination again but feel free to try something new.
Southwest Chicken Bowl
These southwest chicken bowls are the perfect summertime meal. Easy to make and they have something for everyone.
-This meal will work with chicken, steak, shrimp, or salmon just adjust your cooking times to make sure your meat or seafood is properly cooked. -You can use different vegetables that you have on hand. I have used different types of squash, peppers, corn(frozen and fresh), and onions.
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken breasts (I cut mine in half if they are very thick)
- 1 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup honey BBQ sauce
- 1 zucchini (sliced in thin rounds)
- 1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange) sliced into strips
- 1 frozen bag of fire roasted corn or sweet corn prepared
- 1 avocado sliced
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 1/2 cup long grain white rice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
Directions
- Mix BBQ sauce and ranch together in a bowl. Place half of mixture in a ziplock bag along with the chicken breasts (or meat of your choice) and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to marinate.
- Add oil to large frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and rice and saute until rice turns golden brown.
- Once rice is golden brown add cumin, chicken broth, and black beans.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
- Grill zucchini and bell pepper on the grill in foil or in a grill basket with a small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking. Grill to your desired doneness.
- Add chicken to grill and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
- Spoon rice into a bowl and top with other prepared toppings.
- Drizzle with remaining ranch mixture and enjoy!
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