You can add “forgo dinner at home most nights and drag the family to Freebirds for a steak or chicken burrito bowl” to the list of things I’d do if money grew on trees around here. Right above that – never washing or flat-ironing my hair again.
And since money doesn’t grow on trees, butterfly clip or ponytail it is.
But because they’re so stinking easy to make at home, I can dump a bunch of burrito fixins into a bowl, call it a burrito bowl, crank up the theme song to Supernatural (Carry on my wayward so-oon!), and pretend I’m at Freebirds.
Our burrito bowls start with a super simple cilantro-lime quinoa (a compromise since I don’t really eat rice anymore), black or pinto beans, leftover diced chicken or steak, cheese, pico de gallo, a spicy tomatillo salsa, and extra jalapenos or serranos – because you can’t take your tastebuds with you when you die.
With hatch chiles everywhere right now, including the floor of my kitchen – don’t ask, we added a couple of the smokey, sweet chiles to the pico de gallo.
Minus the scoop of queso Jason usually adds to his burrito (were we just meant to be, or what?!), it’s just like eating at Freebirds. I do have to clean the kitchen but I can afford to keep the lights on around here 🙂
Chicken Burrito Bowls with Hatch Chile Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- For the quinoa
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- Juice from 1 1/2 limes
- Handful of cilantro, chopped
- For the pico
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 2 hatch chiles, roasted, seeded, and chopped (directions here)
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- Salt
- For assembly
- 1 can black beans, rinsed
- Leftover chicken or steak, diced
- Shredded cheese
- Diced jalapenos
- Your favorite salsa
Instructions
- Add a generous pinch of salt to the cooking water and cook the quinoa according to package directions.
- Let cool a bit, add the lime juice and cilantro, and fluff with a fork.
- While the quinoa is cooking, make the pico (stir all ingredients in a bowl and set aside) and prepare your other ingredients as necessary.
- To build the burrito bowls, spoon quinoa into each bowl, top with beans, cheese, meat, pico de gallo, jalapenos, and a couple of spoonfuls of your favorite salsa.
Notes
Estimated time: 30 minutes