CHICKEN BURRITO BOWL
Shawarma Spiced Chicken with Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients for Chicken
a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into half inch bite size pieces
2 tsps. of Shawarma seasoning
1 tsp of salt
2 tsps. of garlic powder
1 tsp of onion powder
¼ teaspoon of ground turmeric
1/2 tsp of red chili powder or cayenne
2 tsps. of tomato paste
2 tsps. of lemon juice
2 TBS of Olive oil or any cooking oil
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Ingredients for Cilantro Lime Rice ​
2 cups of Basmati rice
2 tsps. of salt
2 cups of chopped cilantro
2 tsps. garlic powder
2 tsps. onion powder
2 tsps. salt
3 TBS of Olive Oil
juice of 2 limes
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Method:
For the chicken, add all the spices and seasonings listed above and mix these together well in a bowl. Then, heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Fry the chicken for five minutes, then cover and cook on med/medium low until the chicken is tender and gets a little crispy. This should take around fifteen minutes or so. Cool until still warm but not piping hot.
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For the cilantro lime rice, wash the rice at least three times to clear any grit or dust and then place the drained rice in a pot and cover with water. You do not have to measure an exact amount of water, but it should be about two inches above the rice in the pot. Then, add the salt and bring the pot to a boil on medium high heat. At this point, cook the rice for about 14 minutes or until the rice puffs up to the top of the pot. We are not looking for the water to be completely absorbed in this recipe, because at this point, you would need to drain the water from the rice in a colander. Place the drained rice in the bowl and cool to room temperature before adding the chopped cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder and salt along with the Olive Oil and the juice of of the limes. Lightly toss the rice with a spatula to distribute the seasonings.
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Making the burrito bowl is really a personal thing. I just lay out all my ingredients—the fragrant and tangy Cilantro Lime Rice, the Chicken Shawarma bites, a can of black beans that I drain and rinse along with some Mexican cheese, sour cream, Pico De Gallo and Guacamole for everyone to layer how they want—perfect for all kinds of parties! If you want the recipe for an easy peasy Pico and Guac, please check out my Pulled Beef Tacos recipe where I explain how to make them fresh at home.
Enjoy!!