Rice bowls are so versatile. You can make them in so many different ways, but they are usually filled with varying textures and flavors, some cooked, some fresh, some warm, some cold… so every bite is full of interest and keeps you coming back for more.
Today, we are making honey lime chicken rice bowls with sautéd peppers, black beans, rice, pickled onions and cilantro lime crema to bring everything together. If you are looking for a great midweek dinner or meal prep lunches, you are gonna want to try this bowl out!
Let’s get started…
Begin by sautéing a large yellow onion and 2 large sweet bell peppers over medium heat until they are tender and caramelized. Transfer them onto a plate and set aside for now.
While the onions and peppers are caramelizing, cook your favorite white rice and drain and rinse some black beans, so everything will be ready to assemble.
In the same skillet, add a few tablespoons of butter and the same amount of a neutral oil and increase the stoves heat to medium high.
Generously season boneless skinless chicken thighs with your favorite taco seasoning and cook until they are seared on both sides and cooked through. You will most likely need to do this is batches in order to avoid crowding your skillet.
Transfer the cooked chicken onto a cutting board and slice everything into bite sized strips.
Once all of the chicken is cooked, you should have a whole bunch of browned bits in your skillet… leave them where they are and add 1/2 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, a teaspoon of fresh lime zest and a finely minced clove of garlic.
Give everything a good whisk and bring the sauce to a simmer. Use a wooden spoon to work the browned bits up from the bottom of the skillet to be sure they are included into the sauce.
Add the sliced chicken back into the skillet and mix until every piece of chicken is coated in your sticky honey lime sauce. Lower your stoves temperature to low and let the chicken warm in the sauce until everything is warm and the sauce is thick and sticky.
Now we can assemble the bowls…
I like to add equal parts of most elements in my rice bowls, but I don’t usually give amounts for the rice, black beans and crema, because this is all up to you!
I usually use about 3/4 cup of rice, black beans and peppers. I add a heaping cup of the honey lime chicken, a good tong grab of pickled onions and drizzle of cilantro lime crema or your favorite sour cream situation.
If you are wondering why I add the sautéd onions and some pickled onions, they both add something special to these bowls. The sautéd onions are tender and a little sweet and those pickled onions are cold, crunchy and tangy.
Both onions. Both necessary.
These bowls are simple enough to whip up on a Wednesday night, but flavorful enough to satisfy even the pickiest rice bowl connoisseur.
Honey Lime Chicken Rice Bowl
Ingredients
Honey Lime Chicken
- 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs
- taco seasoning
- butter and a neutral oil
- 1/2 cup of honey
- 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup of soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of fresh lime zest
- 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
Rice Bowl Elements
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 large sweet bell peppers, thinly sliced
- white rice, cooked
- black beans, drained and rinsed
- pickled onions
- cilantro lime crema or sour cream
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Sauté the thinly sliced onions and peppers in a large skillet over medium heat until they are tender and caramelized and then transfer them onto a plate and set aside for now
- Add a few tablespoons of butter and a neutral oil and increase your stoves heat to medium high
- Season your boneless skinless chicken thighs with your favorite taco seasoning and cook until both sides are seared and the chicken is cooked through (work in batches to avoid crowding your skillet)
- Transfer the chicken onto a cutting board and slice into bite sized strips
- Once all of the chicken is cooked and sliced, add 1/2 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of fresh lime zest and 1 clove of finely minced garlic into the skillet
- Bring the sauce to a simmer and use a wooden spoon to work any browned bits of of the bottom of the skillet
- Transfer the sliced chicken back into the skillet and toss until every piece is coated in the sticky honey lime sauce
- Assemble the bowls by adding cooked white rice, black beans, sautéd peppers, honey lime chicken and pickled onions into a bowl
- Drizzle some cilantro lime crema or sour cream and add some lime wedges
