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 experimentedย 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 excuseย to order take away, eat junk, or boring lunches.
Watchย Easy Chicken Burrito Meal Prep Bowls Recipe Video
Easy Chicken Burrito Meal Prep Bowls
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 5 Chicken Thighs skinless, boneless
- ยผ 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
- ยฝ cup Cilantro chopped (or coriander)
- ยผ 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
- ยพ 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
Audrey says
Iโm more of a chicken breast kind of girl. Do you know how much I would need? Or can suggest a guess even?
Richa says
You can use about three chicken breasts here - they would divide well for four meal prep boxes. Also, be careful to adjust the cooking time for chicken breasts since they cook faster.
Zeina says
Should this be eaten hot or cold? How can I reheat the chicken and rice with all the veggies in there? Thanks in advance ๐
Richa says
Hey Zeina - we love this cold as well, but if you want to reheat it, I would recommend packing the salsa and sour cream separately.
Cassie says
Where do I find containers like those?
Richa says
Hey Cassie, you can buy them on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/2y1jXeX
Alyssa says
Can you microwave these even with sour cream on top?
Richa says
Hey Alyssa, I would recommend microwaving them without the toppings. You can add the sour cream just before eating!
Kiki says
Do you put these in the freezer and take out the night before or do they last the week? Looks great - canโt wait to try!
Richa says
These last about 5 days in the fridge. I hope you try them out ๐
Jessica Randhawa says
I love this idea for my husband! He's been bugging me to make him something to take with him to work and this would make it so easy! Beautiful, as always ๐
Richa says
Yay! We looove packing these for lunch! I hope you guys enjoy this too.
Megan Davis says
I love these creative food prep meals. Thanks for sharing this.
Richa says
Thanks, glad you liked it.
Yolanda says
Where did you purchase containers
Richa says
Hi Yolanda, you can purchase the containers here: http://amzn.to/2oI421O
Wendy says
This looks delicious and just the recipe to get me started on bringing lunch to work! Can you suggest something else to add if we are not going to use beans? More chicken perhaps?
Richa says
Hey Wendy! Glad you liked this recipe - You can substitute beans with more chicken or chopped lettuce or more veggies even (sauteed bell peppers if you like). Feel free to play around with the elements and add what you like!
Wendy says
Sauteed bell peppers and not chicken sound perfect. Thank you!!
Wendy says
Meant *more chicken!
Richa says
Haha okay that works too!
Bethany @ athletic avocado says
Now I know what to do when I'm meal prepping and craving Chiptole at the same time! These bowls look amazing!
Richa says
Thank you ๐
Vicki says
Do you cut the chicken before marinating or before frying or not at all?
Kristina @ Love & Zest says
I love make ahead meals. They make hectic days sooo much easier. Plus anything you can throw cilantro into is delicious!
Richa says
Absolutely!
Animesh Jaswal says
thanks Richa for this information but can you tell more about mutton recipies ?
Richa says
Thanks Animesh, I have quite a few mutton recipes already on the blog. Here are a few you can check out:
http://myfoodstory.com/indian-mutton-curry-recipe/
http://myfoodstory.com/easy-one-pot-mutton-lamb-kofta-curry-recipe/
http://myfoodstory.com/mutton-keema-or-spiced-lamb-mince-curry-recipe/
Prerna@IndianSimmer says
This is a rocking post Richa! Good Job ๐
Richa says
Thank you so much Prerna ๐
Arun says
I am going to try this! Looks so appetising, and sounds easy to prep!!
Richa says
Thank you!
Sundari Giri says
Wow Richa, super healthy meal boxes. Will give this a try with a vegetarian version.
Richa says
Thanks Sundari, chicken can easily be replaced with paneer or tofu in this recipe.