Easy Southwest Chicken Bowls

These Southwest Chicken Bowls are piled high with grilled chicken and all the Southwestern ingredients you love. Make your bowls on top of Mexican Rice, cilantro lime rice, or lettuce for a delicious and healthy meal that is completely customizable.

These Southwest Chicken Rice Bowls are a favorite around my house and I love how easy they are to throw together! The star of the Southwestern rice bowl is the grilled chicken, which is super simple. I marinated chicken thighs for just a bit in a mixture of olive oil and fajita seasoning (or taco seasoning) before throwing them on the grill.

Once the chicken is grilled and sliced, you can put it on top of any sort of base you like. We're partial to Spicy Mexican Rice around here, but this delicious recipe is perfect on top of brown rice, white rice, quinoa, or just a bowl of lettuce!

Then come the toppings. The best part about this chicken burrito bowl is that you can use whatever sort of toppings you like. I like to set out a variety of options like black beans, salsa, shredded Mexican cheese (we love Cheddar cheese and Pepper Jack), sour cream, lime wedges, fresh cilantro, guacamole or sliced avocado, and tons of fresh veggies like cherry tomatoes, lettuce, red onion, and bell peppers.

You can also top it with a sauce like our Southwestern vinaigrette, a creamy avocado ranch, or Southwestern ranch. 

This great recipe is perfect for meal prep so you can have healthy lunches throughout the week, and makes busy weeknights a breeze! With fresh ingredients and a variety of toppings, this is a meal both you and your family will love. 

Ingredients for Southwest Chicken Bowls

• Southwest Grilled Chicken- I marinated chicken thighs in a mixture of olive oil and fajita seasoning for just an hour before cooking. You can also use skinless chicken breasts if you prefer, and taco seasoning works perfectly in place of the fajita seasoning. 
• Base- For your base you can use cooked rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, spicy Mexican rice, or a bed of fresh leafy greens. 
• Toppings- There are so many great Mexican-inspired toppings that this is going to need its own section in the post. Check out the list below for tons of ideas!

See the recipe card below for full quantities and instructions.

Toppings for Southwest Chicken Bowls

You can use whatever toppings you like on your burrito bowls, but here are my family's favorites:

• Black beans
• Salsa (salsa verde or chunky salsa like pico de gallo)
• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream
• Lime wedges or fresh lime juice
• Fresh cilantro
• Guacamole or sliced avocado
• Red onion
• Bell peppers or poblano peppers
• Southwestern vinaigrette or creamy avocado ranch
• Crushed tortilla chips

How to Make Southwest Chicken Bowls

1. Combine olive oil and fajita seasoning in a small bowl and stir to combine. Add chicken and marinade to a gallon size Ziploc bag and seal it up well. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to overnight. 
2. Grill the chicken until cooked through. Remove to a plate and cover. Let rest for 20 minutes. 
3. While the chicken is resting, prepare your base ingredients like Mexican rice, regular white or brown rice, or cauliflower rice. 
4. Slice or dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. 
5. Set out all the toppings your family wants (see the list above for ideas!) in individual bowls so everyone can assemble their own Southwest Chicken Bowls!

Expert Tips

• If you are using boneless chicken breasts, you may want to pound them out a bit before they go in the marinade for the best flavor and even cooking. 
• The longer your chicken marinates, the more flavor it will have. I recommend at least an hour, but several hours or even overnight will be even better!
• My family loves black beans! Be sure to give them a good rinse before heating them up on the stovetop. I love to spice mine up with a bit of fresh garlic, diced chipotle peppers, cumin, and chili powder.

Storage Recommendations

The chicken can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I recommend storing all the other components separately and arranging your bowls when you are ready to eat. 

For meal prepping, layer the components in a container or jar with the wet ingredients on the bottom and the dry ingredients on top for 3-4 days. 

Love southwestern flavors?

• Southwestern Salad: Entree' or Side
• Slow Cooker Mexican Beef
• Cucumber Jalapeno Margarita
• Creamy Poblano Sauce (served hot)
• Southwest Salad Dressing (Vinaigrette)
• Spicy Mexican Rice
• Mexican Style Biscuits
• Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers
• White Cheddar Poblano Soup
• Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder

Recipe FAQs

📖 Recipe

Easy Southwest Chicken Bowls

Sara

These Southwest Chicken Bowls are piled high with grilled chicken and all the Southwestern ingredients you love. Make your bowls on top of Mexican Rice, cilantro lime rice, or lettuce for a delicious and healthy meal that is completely customizable.

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 451 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon fajita seasoning mix
• 2 cups Mexican rice or lettuce, cauliflower rice, or plain white rice
• ¼ cup Mexican cheese blend optional
• ¼ cup salsa optional
• ¼ cup sour cream optional
• 2 tablespoon pickled jalapenos optional
• ½ cup black beans drained and rinsed, optional

Instructions

 

• Combine olive oil and fajita seasoning in a small bowl and stir to combine. Add chicken and marinade to a gallon size Ziploc bag and seal it up well. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight.
• Grill the chicken until cooked through. Remove to a plate and cover. Let rest for 20 minutes.
• While the chicken is resting, prepare your base ingredients like Mexican rice, regular white or brown rice, or cauliflower rice.
• Slice or dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
• Set out all the toppings your family wants (see the list above for ideas!) in individual bowls so everyone can assemble their own Southwest Chicken Bowls!

Notes

For more topping ideas, try lime wedges, fresh cilantro, guacamole, red onion, diced avocado, bell peppers, poblano peppers, southwestern vinaigrette, or creamy avocado ranch. 

The chicken can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I recommend storing all the other components separately and arranging your bowl when you are ready to eat. 

For meal prepping, layer the components in a container or jar with the wet ingredients on the bottom and the dry ingredients on top for 3-4 days.

The nutritional information was calculated using rice as the base. 

Nutrition

Calories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 81gProtein: 11gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 254mgPotassium: 259mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 295IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 132mgIron: 1mg

Keyword southwest chicken bowls

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