Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice Bowls – Inspire bright thoughts of warmth and sunshine with this spicy, flavorful, and healthy Mexican dinner topped with a heavenly sweet lime sour cream!
The entire month of April I’ve been getting myself excited for Cinco de Mayo. This April was such a lame one with cold weather, days and days of rain, and let’s not forget about COVID-19. I don’t know about you, but I think most American’s lives could benefit from really living it up this Cinco! That is, from the comfort of our own homes…
From personal experience I can say that experimenting with spicy Mexican food for the last few weeks has been helping to get me through this dreary patch. First, with my new recipe for creamy, stretchy cheesy Queso, and now with this recipe for Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice Bowls.
Many of the Mexican or Tex-Mex recipes I’ve tried rely heavily on the flavor of chilies. Don’t get me wrong, I like it, but this recipe is different, and it’s awesome. It’s all about the cilantro and lime, while the chili flavoring hangs out in the background. The flavor is fresh and bright with a bit of spice.
The recipe starts off with a cilantro lime rice pilaf that’s loaded with onions, yellow peppers, corn, and black beans. I dare say that it’s a pretty healthy dinner! Next comes simple, easy-to-make, 3-ingredient chili lime chicken, the secret to which is Tajín seasoning. Finally, this delicious bowl is sprinkled with cotija cheese and drizzled with a sweet lime sour cream. It’s cilantro, chili, and lime perfection!
Heading into May I’m thinking fresh and bright thoughts and I’m hoping for warmth and sunshine. We’re all going to be stuck with dealing with this COVID thing for a while, but at least summer is on its way, and at least spicy food isn’t quarantined from our kitchens!
Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice Bowls
Inspire bright thoughts of warmth and sunshine with this spicy, flavorful, and healthy Mexican dinner topped with a heavenly sweet lime sour cream!
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Rice Pilaf
- 1 C dry enriched white rice
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 yellow bell peppers, finely chopped
- 1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
- 2 1/2 C frozen fire roasted sweet corn*
- 1 C canned black beans, well rinsed and drained
- 1/3 C fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/2 tsp salt
Chili Lime Chicken
- 2 lbs chicken tenderloins
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp TajÃn Seasoning (Mexican chili lime seasoning)
Sweet Lime Sour Cream
- 1 1/2 C sour cream
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- zest of one lime
For Plating
- 1 C grated cotija cheese
- lime slices and cilantro sprigs for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Cilantro Lime Rice Pilaf
- Place 1 C enriched white rice and 2 C water into a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a low simmer and cook covered until all of the water is absorbed, for about 20 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking sauté the olive oil, yellow bell peppers, and onions in a large sauce pan over medium heat until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the corn and black beans to the saucepan and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
- Once the rice is finished cooking, fold it into the large saucepan with the peppers, onions, and corn.
- For the finishing touch, gently mix in the fresh cilantro and lime juice. Cover and set aside until you are ready to assemble your bowls.
Chili Lime Chicken
- Trim any excess tendons or fat from the chicken tenderloins and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Over medium-high heat, sauté the chicken tenderloins in 1 Tbsp of olive oil for 3-5 minutes on each side. Before flipping, sprinkle the uncooked sides of the chicken with 1 Tbsp of Tijan Seasoning. After flipping, sprinkle the cooked sides of the chicken tenderloins with the remaining 1 Tbsp of Tijan seasoning. The tenderloins are done once they reach an internal temperature of 165º F. Remove from the heat and set aside until you are ready to assemble your bowls.
Sweet Lime Sour Cream
- Mix together the lime juice and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
- Mix in the sour cream until smooth. (Note: a good time to prepare this is while the chicken is cooking.)
Assemble
- Place the pilaf into 4 bowls and top with the chili lime chicken.
- Garnish with the sweet lime sour cream. You can spoon it on, or drizzle it on using a squirt bottle. Next, sprinkle each bowl with 1/4 C of grated cotija cheese.
- For a finishing touch, top with fresh lime slices and cilantro sprigs for garnish (optional). Serve immediately.
Notes
*If you are unable to find frozen fire roasted sweet corn, regular frozen sweet corn will do.Â
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