I’ve wanted to make a BBQ Chicken “bowl” meal for a couple weeks now. I love bowl meals because they are easy to prepare, hold up well in the fridge, and offer a great variety of flavors and textures. These Sweet n’ Spicy Chicken Bowls are the perfect mix between spicy, sweet, savory, and creamy, and are just the most colorful bowl you’ll ever eat. I’m super happy that this is my meal prep this week!
If you feel the Sweet n’ Spicy Chicken Bowl needs a little sauciness, you can drizzle a little of your favorite BBQ sauce, sriracha, or even a little ranch dressing over the top. Yes, ranch may sound strange, but it goes pretty well with all of these ingredients, just go lightly with it. Or you can add a little dollop of sour cream might be pretty good. I just let the creaminess of the avocado and juicy pineapple act as the dressing, so to speak.
I was lucky enough to get an avocado on sale for $0.98, but if they’re a little pricy in your area, you can try using a little shredded cheese instead. I would suggest something creamy like Monterrey Jack or spicy Pepper Jack.
Sweet n’ Spicy Chicken Bowls
Servings 4Ingredients
Spice Mix
- 1 tsp mild chili powder ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- Freshly Cracked black Pepper to taste ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp honey ($0.12)
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar ($0.02)
Rice
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice ($0.60*)
- 1 3/4 cup chicken broth ($0.26)
Bowl Ingredients
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast (about 3/4 lb.) ($1.49**)
- 1 8oz. can pineapple tidbits in juice ($0.86)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.84)
- 1 ripe avocado ($0.98)
- 2 green onions ($0.22)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro (optional) ($0.20)
Instructions
- Begin by cooking the rice. Combine the uncooked rice and chicken broth in a small pot. Place a lid on top and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let simmer for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit undisturbed, with the lid in place for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- Prepare the honey spice mix by combining the chili powder cumin, garlic, smoked paprika, cayenne, freshly cracked pepper, salt, honey, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar in a bowl.
- Chop the chicken breast into small pieces. Add it to the bowl with the honey spice mix and toss to coat. Set the seasoned meat aside while you prepare the rest of the bowl ingredients.
- Rinse and drain the black beans. Drain the pineapple, then chop the tidbits into smaller pieces. Slice the green onions. Rinse and roughly chop the cilantro. Cut the avocado in half, then use a pairing knife to slice or cube the flesh.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped and seasoned chicken pieces and sauté until cooked through and slightly browned (5-7 minutes).
- Build the bowls by adding 3/4 cup cooked rice to each bowl, followed by 1/4 of each of the following: cooked chicken, black beans, pineapple, avocado, green onions, and cilantro.
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Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Sweet n’ Spicy Chicken Bowls – Step by Step Photos
Start by cooking your rice, because the rest of the bowl can be prepared and ready to assemble by the time the rice finishes cooking. Place 1 cup brown rice in a small pot and add 1 3/4 cup chicken broth. Place a lid on top and bring it to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer there for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest with the lid in place for another 10 minutes. Then, fluff with a fork.
While the rice is doing its thing, make the spice mix for the chicken. Combine 1 tsp mild chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, some freshly cracked pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl.
Also add 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp honey, and 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar. Stir to combine. (If you don’t have honey, brown sugar works well, too).
How do you spread one single chicken breast out over four servings? Chop it into tiny pieces! It really does help. I wish I would have taken a “before” photo of the chicken so you could see how small it was compared to the large quantity that it looks like now. The chicken breast was about 3/4 lb.
Add the chopped chicken to the spice mix and stir until it’s all coated. Set that aside while you prepare the rest of the toppings. If you don’t want to make your own spice mix and are not worried about sugar content, you can actually just use bottled BBQ sauce to coat the chicken.
So, you’ll also need: 1 15oz. can of black beans (rinsed and drained), 1 8oz. can of pineapple tidbits in juice (drained and roughly chopped into smaller pieces), 2 green onions (sliced), 1/4 bunch of cilantro (rinse and roughly chopped), and one avocado (sliced).
Finally, it’s time to cook the chicken. Because it’s in such small pieces, it cooks quite quickly. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. I used non-stick skillet because the sugar in the spice mix can tend to stick. The spice mix already has some oil in it, so with a non-stick I didn’t have to add any more. Add the chicken to the hot skillet and sauté until the pieces are cooked through and only slightly browned (5-7 minutes). The small pieces have the luxury of cooking quickly, but that also means they can dry out quickly. So, just let them brown a little.
Now you have all your ingredients ready. Rice is cooked, toppings are chopped, and chicken is sautéed. It’s time to assemble the Sweet n’ Spicy Chicken Bowls.
Add 3/4 cup of cooked rice to the bottom of each bowl, then add 1/4 of the black beans, cooked chicken, pineapple, cilantro, green onions, and avocado.
I can’t lie. I added a little drizzle of sriracha. Sriracha has sugar too, so I’m a little off the wagon here. Still a super healthy meal, so I feel good!
And into the fridge they go to feed me for the rest of the week (or most of it, anyway). Every time I do a bowl meal like this that includes avocado, people get a little scared thinking about that cut avocado sitting in the fridge. Well, let me just tell you that it does get a little brown around the edges, but it doesn’t turn completely black like a mashed avocado or guacamole does. It just gets a little discoloration, but tastes just as wonderful. Promise. :)
Beth – My boyfriend and I are always looking for healthy recipes to bring for lunch. He usually takes some form of chicken and rice to work, but I’ll have to make him this recipe. His mind would be blown.
Oh my goodness Beth….this was sooo delicious! I made this for dinner tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it. The only thing I added was a squeeze of lime. Thank you so much for posting such tasty recipes. I love how they are quite simple to make and use ingredients that I either have on hand or can easily purchase. I have made the Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs with the Carrot Salad (I subbed rice) and my family LOVES it! Thanks again and keep on doing what you are obviously gifted to do! :)
Merci pour cette belle recette, idéale pour un repas rapide, accompagné d’une salade.
salutations de la Provence en France
ANDREE
Beth, this sounds simple and delicious! I’m always amazed at the sugar content of prepared sauces and condiments. Will share this recipe with my friend.
Great recipe idea. Thanks. I used Stevia to keep the carbs lower. Delish as well.
Looks delicious! Will have to meal prep this recipe :)
This looks so good! I’m trying to go vegetarian, but I think the sauce you have for the chicken would actually be great on some roasted chickpeas. Thank you!
Do you eat the leftovers cold? I would think that the avocado warmed up in the microwave would be a little funky-same with the pineapple.
I have been eating the leftovers cold, but I have microwaved dishes containing avocado and pineapple before and it doesn’t bother me personally. I can see how some might not like it, though.
My partner’s allergic to pineapple. Should I substitute something else instead, or just leave it out altogether?
I’ll bet mango would be really good…
My daughter can’t handle pineapple yet I also sub pineapple with mango it seems to work as a nice substitute for us.
MMmm, yes, mango would be awesome!
I sometimes sub pineapple for peach. Not sure if that’s possible/tasty here too though!
I think that would work well here. :)
I would definitely sub with a different fruit because the pineapple is responsible for most of the “sweet” in this recipe (even though the spice mix has a little honey). I like the suggestions that others have offered so far: peach and mango sound awesome!
I’d think mango would be good here, or maybe a scoop of salsa.
I love the use of the spices mixed with the apple cider and honey. I haven’t had that before and it gives me some great ideas for some of my own recipes. Also, what a great idea for lunch. My wife and I are always packing leftovers and love to make our lunches for the week on Sundays! Thank you for sharing! I’ll definitely let you know when we try this out!
Right as I was leaving work and trying to figure out what to pick up at the store to make for dinner, I saw you posted this. It hit the spot and was SO delicious! You solved my problem for the evening as well as lunches for the rest of the week!
Made these tonight and they were absolutely delicious. One of my new favorite recipes for sure! Didn’t have avocado or pineapple but added some peaches instead, worked out great! Also added some corn kernels, yum!
Okay, I’ve been all about wraps lately and this looks like a recipe that can used as a wrap filling. I will have to try this very soon!
Great idea!
I LOVE bowls, and honestly, this recipe is making my mouth water. Is it possible that I can serve the dish using regular white rice, instead of brown rice? My sister HATES brown rice. Thanks, Beth!! :-)
I love bowls for the same reason. They are filling and I don’t snack as much later. Will splurge on the avocado as it has lots of healthy fats….need those….doc says I should loose 10 pounds but eating carbs just makes my chunkier. Will do this!
Yes, absolutely :D
I made it with white rice and it was yummy
Hi there – I think subbing white rice in a recipe that calls for brown rice generally is not a good idea. You cannot change one rice for another because it changes the chemical integrity of the whole recipe and actually creates a type of edible C4 that will have catastrophic consequences once it is consumed (C4 = dynamite, remember?)
Mmmm this looks really delicious. I have got to pin this so I can make it for my family, I think they will love it!