This Chicken and Wild Rice Bowl is truly a meal prep masterpiece—nutritious, bursting with taste, and simple to prepare. It features three robust components: robust wild rice, succulent grilled chicken, and soft sweet potatoes, all drizzled with a lively cilantro-lime sauce that takes center stage.
Contents
Why You’ll Love This Bowl
- Meal-prep perfection: These bowls are perfect for storage and heat up wonderfully.
- Balanced and satisfying: An excellent mix of protein, nutritious fats, fiber, and vegetables.
- Big flavor: The cilantro-lime sauce brings a vibrant, zesty touch that unifies all the flavors.
- Simple to customize: Customize it with your preferred toppings to make it uniquely yours.
Ingredients Overview
Wild Rice
Opt for a packaged wild rice blend for ease, or prepare it from scratch using butter, broth, and a combination of herbs and spices. It serves as the robust foundation of your bowl.
Grilled Chicken
Skinless, boneless chicken breasts, lightly seasoned or enhanced with your preferred spice mix, grilled and sliced into thin pieces. Alternatively, you can opt for pre-cooked rotisserie chicken for a quicker option.
Sweet Potatoes
Microwaved until tender, then grilled or pan-seared for a crunchy exterior. These provide a delightful sweetness and a pleasing texture.
Cilantro-Lime Sauce
This creamy, tangy sauce is packed with flavor. You’ll need:
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime juice + zest
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Jalapeño
- Dijon mustard
- Honey
- Almond butter
- Cumin
It’s fast to mix and absolutely irresistible. Pour it over anything.
Optional Toppings
These bowls are fantastic by themselves, but if you want to take it up a notch:
- Baby greens (arugula or spinach): Adds color and freshness
- Avocado: For creaminess and extra richness
- Sliced almonds: Add crunch
- Dried cranberries or tart cherries: A pop of sweetness and contrast
How to Make These Bowls
1. Cook the Wild Rice
Utilize two packages of wild rice mix, or prepare it homemade: Mix rinsed wild rice, broth, butter, and spices. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for roughly 45 minutes until soft. Fluff with a fork.
2. Make the Cilantro-Lime Sauce
In a blender, mix cilantro, lime juice and zest, olive oil, garlic, jalapeño, Dijon mustard, honey, almond butter, and cumin. Blend until you achieve a smooth consistency. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
3. Prep the Sweet Potatoes
Prick each potato using a fork. Microwave until soft (5–8 minutes based on size). Allow to cool, peel the skins off, and either grill or sear in a skillet for a crunchy exterior before dicing.
4. Grill the Chicken
Cut chicken breasts in half and pound them for uniform cooking. Apply olive oil and season generously. Grill or pan-sear on medium-high heat until fully cooked. Allow to rest, then slice thinly.
5. Assemble Your Bowls
Layer your bowl with cooked rice, sweet potatoes, and chicken. Pour a generous amount of cilantro-lime sauce over the top. Top it off with your favorite garnishes and savor every bite!
Storage Tips
- For meal prep: Portion the rice, chicken, and sweet potatoes into separate containers (five servings). Keep the sauce stored separately. Just before serving, include fresh toppings such as greens and avocado.
- Fridge life: Remains fresh for as long as 4 days when stored in the refrigerator.
- Reheating: Heat the base in the microwave until it’s warm, then add the sauce and fresh toppings.
Pro Tip: The sauce might become thicker when stored in the fridge. Allow it to rest at room temperature and shake it well before pouring.
More Ways to Enjoy This Bowl
- Substitute wild rice with quinoa or farro.
- Replace sweet potatoes with roasted butternut squash.
- Transform it into a vegetarian delight by incorporating grilled tofu or chickpeas.
- Utilize the sauce as a flavorful dressing for your tacos or salads—it’s simply that delicious.
Ingredients Chicken and Wild Rice
This Chicken and Wild Rice Bowl is what meal prep dreams are made of—wholesome, packed with flavor, and easy to pull together.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons chicken seasoning blend (see note 1)
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 (6-ounce) packages Long Grain and Wild Rice Mix (see note 2)
- 4 to 5 sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds total)
- Toppings as desired (see note 3)
- 4 limes
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup cilantro, gently packed
- 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped jalapeño
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Zest the limes to obtain 1/2 teaspoon of zest. Squeeze the limes to extract 1/4 cup of lime juice. In a small blender, mix the lime juice and zest with all the sauce ingredients, excluding the olive oil. Pulse to combine, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil and pulse again to blend. Pour the sauce into a mason jar and refrigerate until needed. Prepare the wild rice according to the package directions. Once cooked, fluff it with a fork and keep it covered to retain warmth while you finish the rest.
- Clean and scrub the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Puncture each one with a fork 6–8 times, then arrange them on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 5 minutes, then turn them over and microwave for an additional 3–5 minutes, or until they become tender. Once they are cool enough to touch, slice them in half lengthwise and peel off the skins. Lightly spray both sides with cooking spray and season with a pinch of salt. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, salt, pepper, chicken seasoning, and cumin. Cut large chicken breasts in half horizontally, then cover them with plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or the bottom of a pan to pound them to an even thickness without flattening them too much. Pat the chicken dry, then brush both sides with the seasoning mixture or apply it by hand. Set aside.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, about 400–450°F. Clean and oil the grates using a paper towel soaked in vegetable oil. Grill the chicken for 4–5 minutes per side, flipping halfway through, until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Transfer the chicken to a plate, cover it loosely with foil, and let it rest. Add extra salt if desired. Place the sweet potatoes on the grill and cook for 2 minutes per side, turning them with tongs. Once finished, remove them and let them cool slightly before coarsely chopping. Slice or chop the chicken as well.
- Distribute the wild rice among serving bowls. Top with the grilled chicken and chopped sweet potatoes. Add any preferred toppings like arugula or spinach, sliced almonds, dried cranberries, or diced avocado. Generously drizzle the prepared sauce over everything and serve.
