Chicken burrito bowls are packed with ground chicken, cilantro lime cauliflower rice, black beans, corn, and tomatoes. They are perfect for meal prep and make a great lunch or easy dinner for busy weekdays.
Say goodbye to fast-food burrito bowls like Chipotle, and hello to healthy, home chicken burrito bowls made by YOU!
These chicken burrito bowls are better than anything you can buy on the go. They’re also more nutritious and so easy to make.
I like to prepare them on the weekend when I am doing my meal prep, so I have them ready to go for lunch or a light dinner during the week.
If you prefer to keep them 100% plant-based, try swapping in crispy baked tofu for the ground chicken.
Is A Burrito Bowl Healthy?
Making a homemade burrito bowl is definitely healthy! Made from real whole food ingredients, these bowls are certainly a nutritious meal. Let’s break it down!
Cauliflower rice offers a delicious veggie base for these bowls. If you prefer a whole grain (which I often do), you can swap in brown rice, quinoa, or wheat berries. Really any whole grain you like will work. But I love how light the cauliflower rice is.
Ground chicken offers a great source of protein. I like to buy organic meats whenever I can find them. Keep in mind, that you can also make these burrito bowls using ground turkey, ground beef, or even tofu.
Black beans also provide lots of protein and are also rich in fiber. Plus beans are super affordable. I love to keep them stocked in my pantry.
Tomatoes provide our bodies with vitamins A, and K, lots of B vitamins, and a huge dose of vitamin C. They also add a lovely fresh flavor to the bowls.
Corn is another ingredient packed with fiber, and also has a variety of vitamins and antioxidants. I always look for non-GMO, organic corn options. And I love using frozen corn for this recipe.
How To Make a Burrito Bowl
Building a burrito bowl is very easy to do. Here’s the cliff notes – see the recipe card for the full step-by-step instructions.
Heat olive oil in a non-stick saute pan and saute garlic until fragrant.
Add the cauliflower rice, season with salt, pepper, and chicken broth (or water), and cook until tender.
Transfer to a bowl, cool, and stir in scallions, cilantro, and lime juice.
Heat a saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil, and ground chicken. Season and cook until opaque, breaking the chicken into small crumbles.
Sprinkle in taco seasoning and stir to coat the chicken with the spices. Cook for a couple of more minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Shut off the heat and allow it to cool.
Assemble! Starting on one side of your meal prep container, layer the cauliflower rice, corn, black beans, chicken, and tomatoes. Repeat until you have four burrito bowls.
*OPTIONAL: combine Greek yogurt, chipotle sauce, and lime juice. Stir well and serve over your burrito bowl.
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4.42 from 142 votes
Ground Chicken Burrito Bowls
Say good-bye to fast food (like Chipotle) and hello to this healthy homemade DIY chicken burrito bowl. Packed with ground chicken, black beans, corn, tomatoes and cauliflower rice these burrito bowls are both delicious and nutritious.
Course: DIET, KITCHEN BASICS, LUNCH, salad + dressing, VIDEO
Heat one teaspoon of oil into a large non-stick saute pan. Toss in garlic with a pinch of salt and sauté until fragrant.
Add cauliflower rice to the pan along with salt, pepper and chicken broth (or water). Pop on the lid and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the rice is tender.
Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool before stirring in scallions, cilantro and lime juice. Set aside.
Heat a large non-stick saute pan over a medium heat, add in remaining oil and ground chicken. Season with salt and pepper and break into crumbles with a rubber or wooden spatula until the chicken is in crumbles.
Once the chicken has turned from translucent to opaque, add in taco seasoning and stir to coat the chicken with the spices. Cook for a couple more minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Shut off the heat and allow to cool.
Once all of your ingredients are prepped and ready to go, you are ready to assemble your bowls.
Starting on one side of your meal prep container, layer cauliflower rice, corn, black beans, chicken and tomatoes. Repeat until you make 4 burrito bowls.
Dani Spies is the founder and host of Clean & Delicious; a weekly cooking show on YouTube and a healthy eating blog that celebrates real, whole foods! She takes a holistic approach to health and wellness and is loved for her approachable, down to earth style both in and out of the kitchen.
Made these. Wow!! They were loved by all. They held up well in refrigerator. My son ate with out dressing ( he forgot) but he wouldn’t add now…cause he said its great with out!
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Danisays
That’s so great to hear Shandy! So glad you all enjoyed them. Than you for taking the time to let me know.
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Mariannesays
Looks amazing haven’t tried it yet but when you eat it do you warm it up or have it cold ? Can’t wait to try this for the week !
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Danisays
I usually eat it cold, which may seem weird! But certainly heat it up if you prefer.
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Jeannettesays
I just made this recipe today and my husband really enjoyed it, especially with the Greek yogurt sauce. It was delicious and it didn’t leave us with a heavy feeling after eating it. Thank you Dani.
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Mackenziesays
Made this today to for my lunches this week. Turned out so good! My first time swapping brown rice for cauliflower rice and I was not disappointed. So many wonderful flavors.
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Danisays
So glad to hear that Mackenzie!! Enjoy 🙂
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Patti Hsays
I made this tonight and absolutely loved it! I didn’t use the yogurt sauce since I’m a lightweight when it comes to spice! My family loved it too! I love how I feel full but not bogged down!
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Danisays
So glad this recipe was a hit for you Patti!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a note and a review.
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Kellisays
Ummm, holy moly this was SO good! Sauce was delicious, cauliflower rice with the lime juice, cilantro and green onions was delicious. We did ground beef. Definitely going in our box of repeats!
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Danisays
Hi Kelli! So happy you enjoy this recipe, and that you will add it to your box of repeats! Thank you for the review.
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Franksays
This dish was a hit for dinner last night. The colors of the ingredients are so complimentary and make the dish very appealing. There’s also so many varieties of items you can put in here – we were speculating some roasted veggies would be a great addition too.
I realized I had all of the leftover chipotle peppers (only used the sauce) so I removed their stems, cut them up into tiny pieces, and served them as a spicy, smoky side sauce. They were delicious and added another element of heat to the dish.
I love how nutritious and healthy this recipe is, I look forward to trying more of your recipes for meal prep too!
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Danisays
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Frank. Love the addition of the peppers.
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Suzannesays
This looks so good! This sauce would be tasty for dipping veggies in too!
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Vanessasays
Thanks for sharing! I like the idea of using cauliflower rice! What a great way to cut out carbs and add more nutrition!
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Laceysays
Absolutely loved it, and love how easy additions/substitutions are to make. I make it with salsa and sour cream on the top instead of the yogurt and it was delicious!
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DeAnna Myerssays
Absolutely delicious! We used Choloula instead of the Adobo- perfect! Will definitely make again
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Danisays
That sounds great! Love how you made it your own.
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Heidisays
Delicious! So glad I found you! I’m now working on changing my relationship with food. I’m wondering if I replace the tomato with bell pepper if this would freeze well? I didn’t mind eating it four days in a row, but I should probably eat more variety.
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Jessicasays
Just made this for dinner tonight and it turned out great! Everyone enjoyed it 🙂
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Marysays
I made this today, and it was very good! The sauce was a bit spicy for me, but I will just use less next time. There will definitely be a next time, as I have printed this and put it in my recipe binder.
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Gwen Bokmeyersays
I do the greek yogurt with a little lime juice, salt, pepper and a little salsa. I found a salsa with sweet potatoes at Central Market! So good for my dressing! 🙂
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Gwen Bokmeyersays
I love these. I am a flight attendant and I take them to work. I make them for dinner and then my 3 bowls for work! My husband is choosy, so I do his without tomatoes, green onion or cilantro and he says they are great! They are perfect hot or cold! I use the frozen roasted corn from Trader Joes. I also use Greek yogurt but I add salt, pepper, a small amount of lime juice and a few tablespoons of salsa. So good. When I add all the ingredients, I add cilantro, lime juice and green onions to all of my ingredients. Black beans, tomatoes, and the corn. My bowls are better than any bowl I have had out! YUMMMM
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Allisonsays
Used your recipe as a rough outline for this week’s work lunch meal prep, but I used chopped up chicken breast I needed to use, and made my own spice mixture and more chipotle in the sauce because I like a lot of heat. A taste test is all I’ve had so far but I’m thoroughly impressed! Can’t wait to make my coworkers jealous with this one lol!
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Razacksays
nice!
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Tamara O’Nealsays
This recipe is AWESOME! I made two recipes one with ground chicken and one with ground turkey…my family eat both up!
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Ginosays
Thanks so much for this recipe. I have been looking for something with low carbs. This taste really good. My family loved it. Ino
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Billsays
Looking forward to making this as the first meal of my Meal Prep 2021 resolution. I usually get super stressed about following directions to the letter, but this one doesn’t scare me at all 🙂 Just wondering if you know what size glass meal prep container you used in the pics. Seems like the perfect size. Wish me luck!
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Kevin Stuckeysays
I got confused when I was making the cauliflower rice since the ingredients don’t have chicken broth, but it’s mentioned in the instructions. How much chicken broth is supposed to be added? Otherwise, everything came out well and I’m excited about this delicious meal prep this week. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
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Danisays
Sorry about that! It’s 1/4 cup. I corrected it in the recipe card 🙂
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Christinasays
Love these!! Easy prep and delicious! You can add whatever you want to keep it interesting which is nice. I used quinoa instead of cauliflower rice because I had it on hand.
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Christinasays
Great idea. Will try out!
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Nikkisays
Love this recipe. I used ground beef since I had that on hand. So flavorful! I will be making this regularly. Thank you so much for sharing this.
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Dani Spiessays
Hi Nikki! I’m so glad you are enjoying this one. Thanks for letting me know.
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Katiesays
LOVE this recipe! It is one of my go-to meals for ground chicken now! Next time I would use less cilantro because it was too bold for me.
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Dani Spiessays
I’m so glad to know you enjoyed this one, Katie! Thanks for taking the time to leave a rating and review.
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Lauriesays
Just wanted to be 100% sure the nutrition numbers are for all 4 servings not per serving, correct?
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Dani Spiessays
The nutritional info is per bowl – I hope that helps!
Is a Burrito Bowl Healthy? The basic combination of protein, carbs, and fat (chicken, rice and beans, and guacamole and cheese, respectively) is not only healthy and filling, but incredibly satisfying too. You definitely won't be looking for an evening snack after eating a burrito bowl for dinner.
Made with fluffy cilantro-lime rice, tender chicken, and all the best toppings, it's nutritious and delicious recipe the whole family will agree on. Plus, it's easy to customize and great to make ahead of time for meal prep.
Unwrap that burrito, and you'll save about 300 calories to start. For a healthy bowl, go with brown rice, black or pinto beans, and grilled chicken or lean steak. Top with lettuce and salsa, which packs plenty of flavor for just 5 calories a tablespoon.
Those who are fitness freaks, and burritos can be your best friend. Great control of the digestive tract can result in optimized nourishment. Thus, this forms an excellent meal for those who are on a diet plan. Eating burritos means you are consuming nutrients and giving away the fat content.
Many burritos and burrito bowls end up with 900 to 1,000 calories. This small bump is mostly from sides of chips and guacamole. About 2 percent of meals had more than 2,000 calories.
HOW LONG DO BURRITO BOWLS LAST IN THE FRIDGE? Burrito Bowls will last approximately 3-5 days in the refrigerator. The cooked/warm components can be stored together: chicken, rice, black beans and will allow you to heat them in the microwave without heating the fresh components.
This recipe can be eaten both hot and cold. If you're reheating it, remove the sour cream and lime avocado and heat gently until hot throughout (see above note). The pico de gallo can also be eaten hot or cold.
TO STORE: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days. TO REHEAT: Rewarm burrito bowls in a large skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave. TO FREEZE: Freeze leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months.
Your choice of freshly grilled meat or sofritas served in a delicious bowl with rice, beans, or fajita veggies, and topped with guac, salsa, queso blanco, sour cream or cheese.
Our parents weren't wrong: brown rice is objectively “healthier.” As Yawitz writes, it “provides more fiber and micronutrients per serving, making it a healthier choice overall.” And that additional fiber is especially important for diabetics or those trying to lose weight.
Your sodium intake can easily add up with just a burrito order, ticking toward the FDA's recommended maximum of 2,300 milligrams sodium per day. A McDonald's Big Mac, for comparison, contains 1,010 milligrams of sodium. But when you look at the ingredients, Chipotle is comparatively healthier than other to-go options.
In general, if you cut about 500 calories a day from your usual diet, you may lose about ½ to 1 pound a week. But this can vary depending on your body, how much weight you want to lose, your gender and activity level.
Like most meals, a burrito can be as healthy or unhealthy as you want; it depends on what ingredients you include and what you're avoiding. If you're trying to eat fewer carbs, a burrito bowl can be a better choice than a traditional burrito – and easier to take home if you want to cut back on portion sizes.
Burrito bowl, with steak or chicken, brown rice, black beans, fajita veggies, guacamole, and green salsa: The best meal at Chipotle is one that skips the tortillas. This burrito bowl is a square 510 calories, 17 grams of fat, and an impressive 22 grams of fiber.
For burrito bowls, this is the caloric baseline, clocking in at about 705-1250 total calories, depending on your guac, protein selection, and additional fixings. For burritos, add a flour tortilla (300 calories), and you're looking at a range of about 1085-1550 total calories, depending on topping selections.
Introduction: My name is Mrs. Angelic Larkin, I am a cute, charming, funny, determined, inexpensive, joyous, cheerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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