Grilled Jerk Chicken Burrito Bowls
Looking for a delicious and fun recipe to grill this weekend? Put these Grilled Jerk Chicken Burrito Bowls on the menu!
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It’s amazing the stuff you find when you move. A couple of months ago, Laura and I moved into a new house. We love our neighborhood, and the new house is just around the corner. Actually, Laura calculated the distance as merely 500 yards as the crow flies. Of course, we can’t exactly drive our cars through the neighbors’ yards to get there…but if we could, it would be 500 yards.
We’ve more or less unpacked everything and settled into the new place. (I actually have a real home office now!) As we were packing and unpacking those boxes, we came across all sorts of stuff that we’d forgotten about. Some of the stuff was awesome, like some old Duke basketball memorabilia. Some of the stuff wasn’t so awesome, like an old exercise ball that had long since melted. (On a side note, I have no idea how that thing melted as it was in a drawer in our guest bedroom.)
Something else I found: my bottle of jerk seasoning. Now I know finding a bottle of jerk seasoning isn’t really a highlight, but it led me to a decision. Should I chuck it in the trash? Or should I make something with it? I opted for making these Grilled Jerk Chicken Burrito Bowls. Let me tell ya…that was the correct decision here!
When it comes to fast casual food, Chipotle has always been pretty high on our list. We often hit up Chipotle in the airport before a long flight, or sometimes we’ll just grab Chipotle after a long week when we don’t feel like thinking. Years ago, I spent quite a bit of time reading about and recreating a recipe for these Copycat Chipotle Burrito Bowls. While I’m sure that recipe isn’t exactly the same, it’s pretty darned close. In fact, a reader recently commented that she lives out of the country, and that recipe totally fulfills her Chipotle craving. I agree!
Grilled Jerk Chicken Burrito Bowls
Grilled Jerk Chicken Burrito BowlsI’m not sure if it’s the warmer weather or what, but I’ve been craving some good grilled chicken burrito bowls lately. Couple that with the jerk seasoning discovery, and you’re got these Grilled Jerk Chicken Burrito Bowls. To be fair, the only thing I changed from that old copycat recipe was the chicken. I used a simple overnight marinade, and then I let the grill do what the grill does best…add flavor! Unlike most jerk chicken recipes, you’ll see that I went fairly light on the jerk seasoning. I mixed a bit into the marinade, and then I sprinkled a tiny bit more on the chicken once I put it on the grill. Of course, if you really love jerk flavors, then feel free to pile it on!
I’ll admit that these Grilled Jerk Chicken Burrito Bowls take a bit of time to make. There’s the cilantro-lime rice. There’s the Corn Salsa (which requires grilling or broiling the poblano peppers). There’s the toppings, like homemade guac. And of course there’s also the jerk chicken itself. But trust me when I say that these Grilled Jerk Chicken Burrito Bowls will be a hit! They’re fun to make for a party. Or you can do like we did and have burrito bowl leftovers for a couple of days. Delicious! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. Happy grilling!
Did you make these Grilled Jerk Chicken Burrito Bowls at home? Leave a comment. Or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog)!
Looking for more tasty grilled chicken recipes? Check out these other favorites:
Grilled Chicken Fajita Kabobs
Grilled Chicken Souvlaki Flatbreads
Pesto Pasta with Grilled Chicken
Grilled Moroccan Chicken
Copycat Chipotle Burrito Bowl
Grilled Jerk Chicken Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
For the Jerk Chicken
- ½ Tbsp jerk seasoning
- ½ cup grated red onion
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- ½ Tbsp minced garlic
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
For the Rice
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups hot water
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
For the Corn Salsa
- 3 poblano peppers halved and deseeded
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups frozen corn
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 1 medium jalapeño deseeded and diced
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For Toppings
- 1 15-oz. can black beans rinsed and drained
- Monterey Jack Cheese shredded
- guacamole store-bought or homemade
- romaine lettuce chopped
- sour cream
- warm flour tortillas
Instructions
For the Jerk Chicken
- Using a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for chicken; whisk together until fully combined.
- Place chicken breasts in a large glass baking dish. Add marinade to the baking dish, turning to fully coat chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, or overnight. (Tip: I recommend having the rice, corn salsa and other toppings ready before grilling the chicken.)
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Remove chicken breasts from marinade and place on grill; discard any remaining marinade.
- Grill for 10-12 minutes, flipping once, or until chicken breasts are fully cooked. Remove chicken from grill and set aside to rest for at least 10 minutes.
- Slice chicken into ¾” strips.
For the Rice
- Using a medium saucepan, add butter and heat over low heat until melted.
- Add the rice and lime juice; continue cooking, stirring often, for 1-2 minutes.
- Add water and salt; stir gently and increase heat to medium-high. Once water begins to boil, cover and remove pan from heat. Do not uncover or stir again.
- Allow rice to rest until all of the water is absorbed (~18-20 minutes).
- Once rice is cooked, add the chopped cilantro and fluff rice with a fork.
For the Corn Salsa
- Preheat grill to medium high heat.
- Brush the poblano peppers with olive oil and place on grill skin side down; roast until skin becomes well-charred (~5-6 minutes). Allow peppers to cool slightly, then peel and discard the charred skin. Dice and set aside. (Note: ensure that all of the seeds are removed from the peppers.)
- Cook frozen corn according to package directions; set corn aside. (Note: Fresh corn can be substituted here if available.)
- Using a medium bowl, combine the diced poblanos and corn with all remaining ingredients (onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper); stir until well mixed.
For Toppings
- Layer rice and lettuce in a bowl.
- Add black beans, grilled jerk chicken, guacamole, corn salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, and any additional toppings of your choice.
- {Optional} Serve with warm flour tortillas.
I do love a good burrito bowl. They are so satisfying and filling and hit just about everything you might be craving. I love the idea of having leftovers and taking to work the next day. Glad you found that bottle of jerk seasoning!
You nailed it, Kathy! A good burrito bowl has so many tasty elements that it’s sure to hit whatever you might be craving at the time. It does require a bit of effort since there are so many components, but it’s well worth the time spent as you end up with amazing leftovers! Just think of the look on your coworkers faces when you warm up a burrito bowl in the breakroom! 🙂
It’s always interesting what you find when you move house. I remember finding all sorts of stuff such as maple sugar, but Jerk Seasoning is a great find. Love the look of this dish David. Feel like this would be great to make in a big batch and just plunk down on the table and let people dig in!
I totally found a container of maple sugar, too, Matt! My container only had a tiny bit (couple of tablespoons) left in it, so I just ditched it. But maple sugar really is a magical thing! You make an excellent point about this being a good party recipe. Just make all of the components and let folks build their own burrito bowls! I might just have to take your recommendation there next time we have friends over. 🙂
Somehow I always forget about burrito bowls and we love them! I’m glad you didn’t throw that bottle of jerk seasoning away, because now I’m inspired to make these bowls too!
Burrito bowls are the best! Sure, they require some planning and work since there are so many different components…but it’s well worth the effort! Plus, you can make extra and keep the rest for amazing leftovers. Thanks, Marissa!
Well, I’m happy you didn’t throw away that jerk seasoning because there’s this deliciousness! That’s one of the fun perks of unpacking or reorganizing stuff – finding things you forgot about. Granted, sometimes this can take you down memory lane and you may spend waaaay too much time going down that lane while you should be organizing, but you get the drift, lol. So much better when you can create restaurant faves at home and looks like you hit it outta the park with this one! We don’t have Chipotle around here, but I have had while travelling. I’ll have to get my fix and whip this yummy bowl up soon 😉
Oh, I totally know what you mean about wandering down memory lane. Whenever I dig into my old box of keepsakes, it’s at least 30 minutes of wandering down that lane! I didn’t spend 30 minutes looking at the jerk seasoning, though. (Although I spent way more than that trying to organize the new spice cabinet…haha!) Oh man, I’m sad you don’t have Chipotle up there in Newfoundland. I’m not one to miss a chain restaurant…unless it’s Chipotle! This homemade version will totally hit the craving, though. Cheers, my friend!
I’m glad you found a bottle of jerk seasoning and opted for (re)creating this recipe. I’m not a huge fan of spicy food, but I like good jerk chicken once in a while; I particularly like the combo of chicken, rice, and beans. And you turned it to a more creative level! There’s only one question left: didn’t you happen to find a bag of lavender when packing and moving? 🙂
Actually I did find my jar of dried lavender when we moved, Ben! Right there in the back of my spice cabinet. Don’t worry…I didn’t throw it out. It earned a spot in the new spice rack. Now I just have to find a way to use it. I suspect lavender burrito bowls wouldn’t be all that tasty. I’ll stick with the more traditional seasonings there! 🙂
this looks very healthy and delicious david. i don’t think i’ve ever had jerk seasoning, but i imagine it’s very spicy which i love. i look at our house sometimes and think how ghastly it would be to have to move. all that packing and sorting! oh my! nice to have your own office i bet…cheers sherry
Hey Sherry! Jerk seasoning does have a bit of spice. You can google a recipe for jerk seasoning and mix your own batch. (Feel free to add a bit more cayenne if you like things spicy!) Oh man, the packing and moving was a real challenge…even though we only moved less than a mile away! However, the move was a good excuse to clean things up in the house. (And it led to me finding the jerk seasoning, too!) 🙂
David, burrito bowls and Chipotle are a big hit at our house and your looks fantastic! Love the jerk chicken – you chose wisely! (Not to throw it away!) Can’t wait to try your corn salsa!
Hey Kelly! So each of the components of this burrito bowl are super important. I love the corn salsa…it adds such a boost of flavor! And of course the grill always helps when it comes to the flavor department. 🙂 Thanks so much!
Moving can be stressful, but I think it can be good for the soul too! It’s a chance to get organised 😀 In my case anyway… I need to move again, put it that way 😉
I am loving these burrito bowls! Definitely will be on my weekend cooking list, I think, David! 😀
I’m with ya, Alexandra! Moving is stressful, but it eventually leads to calm and relaxation. Eventually. 🙂 Good thing I stumbled across that jerk seasoning! Definitely keep this recipe on the radar. There are a lot of components to it, but the flavors are great. Plus, it makes for some amazing leftovers!
We’ve enjoyed some amazing Jerk chicken dishes when we visited Vegas and also Hawaii. This took me back. I was amazed at how easy the Jerk Chicken part of the recipe was too. I would have though a lot more seasoning was involved! Thanks David! Hey – I’m glad you got a home office when you moved too. I couldn’t be without mine!
Well, to be fair, you could mix up your own jerk seasoning…and then the recipe list would be a mile long. Seriously, go look up a jerk seasoning recipe. There are SO many spices in it. I normally like to make my own spice mixes, but jerk seasoning is one where I just buy it pre-mixed. Either way, this recipe is a favorite…and it makes amazing leftovers, too. Thanks so much, Neil!
I think finding a jar of delicious spices IS exciting! And if it led to this recipe, even more so! So glad you kept it! I can think of so many ways to eat this deliciousness, and I’ll start with the bowl. 🙂 ~Valentina
Haha! When I pulled that jar of jerk seasoning out, I was like “huh? I didn’t know I still had this!” It didn’t take long before it was put to good use. 🙂 These burrito bowls are a favorite around here…and the leftovers taste even better the next day for lunch! Thanks, Valentina!
David, I popped onto your site today to see what you’ve been up to and the first thing I saw was your cherry crumb pie, but then my eyes locked on the image of your Grilled Jerk Chicken Burrito Bowl and immediately thought, Chipotle. If there’s one fast food place in the US I miss eating at it’s Chipotle, so now I have to make this dish. But, first, we must finish packing and move and unpack. I know you know the drill. So now, back to my boxes.
You nailed it, Ron! I was totally going towards Chipotle when I came up with this recipe. As I mentioned in the post, I copied most of this recipe from an older post on the site where I had done a ton (!!) of reading into Chipotle copycat recipes. I gotta say that it’s not far off! Good luck with the move on your end. Maybe save this recipe as a fun ‘welcome to the new house’ recipe??
Also, for the record, Chipotle recently shared their guacamole recipe. It’s a good one, but I prefer my own version there.