Cilantro Lime Chicken Bowls
These cilantro lime chicken bowls are packed with flavor, perfect for meal prep and so easy to make. With cilantro lime rice, juicy chicken thighs, avocado salsa and a simple chipotle sauce to top it all off.
As you know by now, I love a good bowl for dinner. And I especially love a good Mexican themed bowl. We already have my chicken fajita bowls, chili lime bowls, and cilantro steak bowls but these cilantro lime chicken bowls are quickly becoming a favorite.
We have perfectly seasoned and marinated chicken thighs (so much juicier than chicken breasts!), cilantro lime rice, homemade avocado salsa and topped with an easy and super creamy chipotle sauce that I’m going to start putting on everything!
I often make sauces from cashews because it’s the best way to make a creamy dairy free sauce, but honestly, greek yogurt is so good as a base. It adds some extra protein and is dairy free and nut free friendly. If you love this recipe, try my cilantro lime salmon bowls or ground beef taco bowls next!
How to make cilantro lime chicken bowls
Whisk together all ingredients for the chicken marinade. Add the chicken thighs to a shallow bowl or large ziplock bag (my preference) and add in the marinade. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours in the fridge.
Meanwhile, prep everything else! If your rice is not already prepared, do so now. You can use my cilantro lime rice recipe, or just add fresh cilantro, lime juice and salt to pre-cooked rice for a little shortcut.
Add all of the ingredients for the chipotle sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Combine all ingredients for the avocado salsa. Once the chicken is ready, preheat your oven or air fryer to 400 Fahrenheit.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or cook in the air fryer for 14-18 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 Fahrenheit. Chicken thighs are more forgiving than chicken breasts and a bit trickier to over cook.
Once done, let the chicken rest for a few minutes. Assemble your bowls with a base of rice, then add on the black beans, corn, avocado salsa and chicken. Top with the chipotle sauce and enjoy! Try my hot honey chicken bowls or chicken burrito bowls next!
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How to store
If you want to prep these cilantro lime chicken bowls in advance, you definitely can since all ingredients will store well in the fridge. I like to prep all of the ingredients early in the week so the bowls are ready to go and it makes dinner time a lot faster and easier!
Everything will keep for about 3 days, but the chipotle sauce for about a week. I like to reheat everything on the stove with a splash of oil, but I usually serve the sauce cold, there’s no need to heat that up.
Variations
Veggies. The beauty of bowls like this is that you can add in or sub out whatever you like! I love sauteeing some sliced bell peppers and onions to throw in the mix, or add a handful of fresh greens.
Sauce. You can also swap the chipotle sauce for my cilantro lime crema sauce, I just think the spice of the chipotle sauce rounds out all of the flavors of the bowl really well.
Chicken. I prefer using chicken thighs here since they are more forgiving, but if you prefer to use chicken breasts, just be sure to pound them to about 1/2 inch thickness before cooking. This will ensure the chicken cooks evenly and doesn’t dry out.
Rice. I used my cilantro lime rice here, but you can swap for my Mexican green rice or even my Spanish cauliflower rice for a low carb option.
Try these easy dinner recipes next!
- Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
- Air Fryer Orange Chicken
- Teriyaki Chicken Bowl
- Chipotle Sofritas Tofu Bowl
Lastly, if you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, tag me on instagram if you make this recipe so I can see your creation!
Cilantro Lime Chicken Bowls
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Chicken
Avocado Salsa
- 2 ripe avocados cubed
- ⅓ cup cilantro finely diced
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
Bowl
- 2 cups cooked cilantro lime rice
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups corn
Chipotle Sauce
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
- 1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Whisk together all ingredients for the chicken marinade. Add the chicken thighs to a shallow bowl or large ziplock bag (my preference) and add in the marinade.
- Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours in the fridge.
- Meanwhile, prep everything else! If your rice is not already prepared, do so now. You can use my cilantro lime rice recipe, or just add fresh cilantro, lime juice and salt to pre-cooked rice for a little shortcut.
- Add all of the ingredients for the chipotle sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Combine all ingredients for the avocado salsa.
- Once the chicken is ready, preheat your oven or air fryer to 400 Fahrenheit.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or cook in the air fryer for 14-18 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 Fahrenheit. Chicken thighs are more forgiving than chicken breasts and a bit trickier to over cook. I suggest a meat thermometer for easy cooking!
- Once done, let the chicken rest for a few minutes.
- Assemble your bowls with a base of rice, then add on the black beans, corn, avocado salsa and chicken. Top with the chipotle sauce, more fresh cilantro and enjoy!
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