The beauty of this kitchen staple is that it become a bit of a “kitchen sink” meal – you can throw pretty much anything in! i tend to use chicken, red pepper, corn, avocado, and white rice but you can easily make this a vegetarian meal by swapping in beans for the chicken!
Highlights
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
Make Ahead? – No
Freezer Friendly? – No
Substitutions? – Yes!! You can substitue whatever your family favorites are in this meal. Hate tomatoes? Leave ’em out! Want to omit the chicken? Double down on beans or add another choice vegetable.
Ingredients List
- 1 tablespoon chili oil
- 2 lbs boneless chicken breast
-
2 cups cooked cilantro white rice or one 8.8 oz-packaged cooked rice
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 small can black beans (10 or 15 oz), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen or canned corn
-
1 avocado
- 1 standard jar of salsa, 15.7 oz(I prefer salsa verde but you can choose your preference)
- Shredded Mexican cheese to serve
Recipe: Mexican Bowls
- Begin cooking the 2 cups of rice so this is complete by the time you are through with the rest of your meal.
- Dump 3/4 of the jar of salsa into your insta-pot. Layer in the chicken on top. Put on the top and turn to pressure cook for 10 minutes.
- While rice and chicken cook, chop tomatoes in half. Add tomatoes and frozen corn to a small skillet and heat with 1 tablespoon of chili oil plus salt and pepper to taste. Heat for about 4 minutes until cooked and well-seasoned. Add beans off heat.
- When chicken is cooked, release the pressure and remove from pot. On a cutting board, use two forks to shred the chicken and place in a large bowl- it should come right apart. Ladle the salsa mixture from the pot over the chicken to moisten.
- Layer and assemble to enjoy – spoon rice into a serving bowl and add the chicken with the corn/rice/bean mixture. Cut avocado and layer on top (feel free to add extra salt!). Sprinkle with mexican cheese and enjoy!
Family Tips
- You can easily deconstruct this meal and serve the ingredients separately for picky eaters – you can also let them choose exactly what goes into the bowl.
- You can add a little extra chicken if you want more leftovers. Once you have this leftover shredded chicken it works great for a quick lunch with any of these leftover ingredients or to throw together a quick mexican-themed salad!
- Sometimes if I am feeling a little crazy I even add some crunched up tortilla chips on top!
- You can dial up or down the spice level based on the salsa you buy as well as the amount of chili oil used in the corn and tomato mixture.
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