Today I am sharing this California chicken, veg, avocado rice bowl recipe from fellow blogger Rebecca who blogs at Imperfect Mummy. What is there not to love about chicken spiced with cayenne and smoked paprika with fesh herbs served with rice, veg, avocado, tomatoes, toasted walnuts and crumbled blue cheese?
This rice bowl recipe is easy to make with high protein chicken, healthy vegetables and good fats in the avocado. It is suitable for lunch or an evening meal to be enjoyed by young families, couples and friends.
California Chicken, Veggie, Avocado and Rice Bowls
Ingredients
- 500 g boneless, skinless chicken breast. Cubed if making skewers
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic minced or grated
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 1/2 cups jasmine or basmati rice
- 3 cups water
- 2 red peppers sliced
- 1 courgette cut into 2cm rounds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 2 avocadoes mashed very well
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1 clove of garlic minced or grated
- 300 g grape tomatoes halved
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)
Instructions
- *At least 30 minutes before grilling, soak your skewers (if they are bamboo) in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from charring.
- In a large bowl combine the olive oil, garlic, onion powder, pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika, parsley and basil. Add the chicken and toss well. Cover and place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the meal.
- Make the rice. Add the water to a medium size pot. Bring to a low boil and then add the rice. Stir to combine and then place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook for ten minutes on low and then turn the heat off completely and let the rice sit on the stove, covered for another 20 minutes (don't take any peeks inside!). After 20 minutes remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Note that rice can cook differently for everyone, this is just what works for me.
- Pre heat the grill to medium high heat.
- Add the red pepper and courgette to a ziplock bag. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Seal the bag and shake well so the veggies are coated with olive oil.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge and if using skewers, skewer the chicken (or if you do not have skewers you can leave the chicken whole and cut after grilling).
- Grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, gently flipping 2-3 times until chicken is cooked through and has light char marks. While the chicken is grilling grill the courgette for about 4 minutes on each side, or until tender and the red peppers for about 5 minutes, flipping once or twice during cooking. You may also use a grill pan to do this or even just cook everything on the stove.
- Remove everything from the grill and let cool for 5 minutes. Once cool, slice the red peppers into strips and if you have whole chicken breast cut those into cubes.
- Add the mashed avocados to a bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley, garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
- To assemble the bowls, divide the rice among 4 bowls or plates. Top each bowl of rice with equal amounts of chicken, grilled peppers and courgette. Add a large dollop of the avocados and then add the fresh tomatoes and walnuts. Sprinkle with blue cheese if desired. Serve warm.
Rebecca is the owner of the blog Imperfect Mummy. Here where you will find only realistic parenting advice along with reviews, parenting tips, tricks, and family recipes. Rebecca is just about managing as a stay at home Mum to 3 boys and after living in Australia for 14 years now calls England home again.
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