Easy chicken burrito meal prep bowls are perfect for planning weekday work lunches ahead! They are super tasty, gluten free and a healthy way to make sure you have home cooked lunch boxes ready to go.
Have you got on the meal prepping boat already? Asks the food blogger who works from home and has access to yummy food all the time. But guys, let me tell you about the realities today. Which usually include forgetting about lunch altogether and then taking out chips and dip because so easy.
Which is why I've been on the meal prep team for some time now. It all started with the teriyaki chicken meal prep lunches and since then I've experimented with so many! Weird I know. But totally necessary! I make lunches for the week in easy fridge friendly and microwaveable lunch boxes for the three of us on Sundays so that we can just pick and go. And re-heat when its time for lunch. Its the best way to stay on track I've realized and you have super yummy lunches always ready!
These easy chicken burrito meal prep bowls are incredibly tasty and our current favorite. They take only an hour to put together and are faster if you have one more person helping with the prep work which I always do.
Let me break these easy chicken burrito meal prep bowls down for you so that you can imagine how much yumminess gets packed in one box and how much you need them in your life.
Whats in these Easy Chicken Burrito Meal Prep Bowls?
Here's a list of everything that goes into these chicken burrito bowls that you can meal prep ahead for weekday lunches. It might be a longish list but each element only takes 10-15 minutes to make, which you can also see from our video above.
- Taco Chicken which is a five ingredient recipe and takes 15-20 minutes to prep and cook. And has a beautiful caramelized crust. I usually make extras because I end up eating most of the chicken even before it makes it into these boxes
- Pico de gallo which is also called salsa fresca and is like salsa but isn't liquid-y so its perfect for these make ahead meal prep lunch boxes. Again five ingredients + salt and takes 10 minutes to prep and 2 minutes to make
- Cooked beans - you can use kidney beans or black beans or whatever beans you love. They are just cooked and lightly salted. Canned beans work well too!
- Corn which can be fresh or frozen. Sauteed in oil and seasoned with salt
- Cooked white rice which can be substituted with brown rice or quinoa
- Sour cream which is store bought in this case, cucumber slices and a lime wedge
That's five main elements which take 10 minutes on an average to make. So totally, you are done in an hour and then you have lunch ready for four days a week.
If you are interested in a low carb version, you can also turn this into a chicken burrito salad bowl. Just swap the rice for fresh lettuce and you've got yourself some fun salad bowls.
Tell me you aren't excited by the look of these? With these easy chicken burrito meal prep bowls I'm giving you no excuse to order take away, eat junk, or boring lunches.
Watch Easy Chicken Burrito Meal Prep Bowls Recipe Video
Easy Chicken Burrito Meal Prep Bowls
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 5 Chicken Thighs skinless, boneless
- ¼ cup Taco Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Oil
For the Pico de Gallo
- 2 cups Tomatoes finely diced
- 1 cup Onion finely diced
- 2 Jalapenos finely diced, seeds removed
- ½ cup Cilantro chopped (or coriander)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- Juice of 1 Lime
For the Corn
- 1 teaspoon Oil
- 2 cups Corn Kernels Fresh or Frozen
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Other Ingredients for the Chicken Burrito Bowls
- 3 cups Cooked Rice White or Brown
- 2 cups Cooked Beans Black Beans or Kidney Beans
- ¾ cup Sour Cream
- 2 Cucumbers sliced
- 1 Lime cut into four wedges
Instructions
- Start by marinating the chicken: In a ziplock bag, add all the ingredients mentioned under chicken, squash together, seal and set aside for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Next prepare the pico de gallo by mixing all the ingredients mentioned under 'pico de gallo'. Refrigerate while you prepare everything else.
- Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add the fresh or frozen corn. Cook for 5-6 minutes on high till the corn is slightly blistered. Season with salt and pepper. Remove in a bowl and set aside.
- In the same pan, add chicken and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning once or twice till the chicken is slightly brown and cooked through. I like to toss it on high heat towards the end to get some charred bits.
- Let everything come to room temperature before assembling the meal prep boxes. To assemble, divide chicken, rice, corn, beans and pico de gallo in each box. Top with sour cream, sliced cucumbers and place a lime wedge in each bowl. Shut the lid and refrigerate for up to four days.
Notes
- These meal prep containers work great, are freezer friendly, food safe and can be microwaved
- Please remove the lid of the boxes before microwaving
- Avocados and Guacamole work great with this recipe but I recommend buying them separately and using them fresh
- I used boneless chicken thighs for this recipe. They work best as they remain tender and juicy. If you want to use chicken breasts, I recommend slicing them in half lengthwise, marinating them and then cooking them whole so that they retain their juices. Cook them for 4 minutes on each side (this can vary based on the size) and then chop them up.
Nutrition
*This post contains affiliate links which help me earn a small income to run this blog
Other Chicken Meal Prep Ideas
Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry Meal Prep Lunch Boxes
Shannon says
Hi, how do you stop the rice from getting that hard crunchy texture after a few days?
Richa says
If its stored in an airtight container in the fridge, that won't happen in five days. Plus as soon as your microwave or heat this up, the rice will warm up and soften
Jacey says
Could you tell me what the calorie count is for this? Thank you!
Richa Gupta says
Hey Jacey, it's around 250 calories per serving. Happy cooking!
Vicki says
Do you cut the chicken before marinating or before frying or not at all?
Richa says
You can do it either way. I like to cut the chicken into bite sized pieces before marinating it
Cordesha says
Hi. This is great!
Whats the calorie count for this chicken burrito bowl?
Thank you
Jenny says
Hello!
Are you able to freeze these To last a little longer than five days? Or do you not recommend that for this recipe? I just purchased all of the ingredients at the grocery store, but I’m also doing one other meal prep recipe for this week and will alternate each day, so I may need these to last more like 7 to 10 days. Thank you! Excited to try this.
Richa says
Hey Jenny, you should be able to freeze these. I recommend leaving out uncooked items like the pico de gallo, cucumbers and sour cream out, and adding them only when you are ready to eat. The rice, chicken, beans and corn will freeze well.
MAHI says
Great recipe!