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    Home » Recipes

    Published: Feb 24, 2022 Updated: Oct 15, 2023 By: Melissa Oleary

    Weeknight Southwest Chicken Bowl

    Jump to Recipe
    Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
    5 comments
    5 from 7 votes

    Our easy Southwest chicken bowl is one of our favorite easy weeknight meals to make because it tastes amazing, it's healthy AND it is economical. The trifecta! The flavors from lime and southwest seasoning make these chicken bowls so good and they can be made in under an hour (including marinating time). I highly suggest you try this chicken bowl recipe and get it on your weeknight meal rotation ASAP.

    chicken bowl top view
    Chicken Bowls with Southwest Spice and Lime

    Why You Will Love This Southwest Chicken Bowl

    • Quick: This southwest chicken bowl makes the perfect easy weeknight recipe and it is on rotation often at our house. What's even better is it is so easy to make!
    • Flavorful: It has the most delicious American Southwest spice along with fresh lime juice which imparts the most amazing flavor. The marinating time when making the Southwest chicken will only take about 20-30 minutes depending on how much time you have.
    • Made with simple ingredients: You need only chicken and canned pinto beans along with some seasonings that you probably already have on hand.

    Grilled chicken and beans over rice in a bowl.
    A picture of this easy southwest chicken bowl with ingredients that are so simple!

    Ingredients Needed

    All simple ingredients. Here is what you will need:

    • Boneless chicken breasts. I like to slice the chicken breast in half lengthwise so that the chicken cooks faster.
    • Basmati rice. If you want a delicious fluffy in your chicken bowl, basmati is the best rice to use.
    • Canned pinto beans. You can also use any variety of canned pink beans (kidney beans, pink beans, etc.)
    • Southwest spice mix (kosher salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, chili powder, garlic powder, coriander). This spice mix is used in the chicken marinade and to season the beans. It's so good!
    • Limes. For the marinade and for serving.
    • Tomato paste. A little is used to create a richness with the pinto beans.
    chicken bowl angle

    Recipe Notes:

    You do not need to have every single spice listed for the southwest spice mix, use what you have on hand. It will come out amazing either way.

    For the beans, if you do not have tomato paste you can substitute finely diced tomatoes. Just add the tomatoes to the beans when the recipe states tomato paste.

    beans for chicken bowl
    The canned pinto beans get a rich pick-me-up with the tomato paste and spices.

    Additions and Toppings Ideas

    I always plan meals around what is the minimal amount needed for the meal to taste amazing. This does not mean that additional toppings are not welcome with these chicken bowls.

    • If you want to pull off the whole Chipotle chicken bowl instead of eating out, go ahead and add your favorite toppings like shredded cheese, pico de Gallo, and avocados.
    • Roasted salsa, poblano cream sauce, cilantro lime sauce, fresh corn, or sour cream are great additions too. Enjoy these Southwest chicken bowls as is or make them your own 🙂
    chicken bowl

    More Recipes With Beans

    I love pinto beans so much and even make an entire pinto bean salad with them and refried bean tostadas (which is another really delicious quick weeknight dinner!).

    We love adding extra flavor to canned beans and if you've tried our popular Easy Cuban black beans or our white bean ragout, you will know this method works!

    More really easy weeknight chicken recipes

    If you love this easy southwest chicken bowl recipe, you will love these really easy recipes too:

    • rotisserie chicken sandwich
      Rotisserie Chicken Sandwiches
    • feature image oven baked bbq chicken
      Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

    Faqs

    Can you substitute chicken thighs for chicken breasts in these chicken bowls?

    Absolutely. Just follow the recipe the same and know that you may need to add a little cooking time for the chicken thighs.

    How do you make chicken rice bowls low carb?

    You can make these chicken and rice bowls low-carb by substituting cauliflower rice for the rice in the recipe. You could also omit the rice completely and serve the chicken over the beans.

    single chicken bowl with beans
    Print Recipe
    5 from 7 votes

    Easy Weeknight Chicken Bowls

    A delicious, big on flavor and healthy chicken bowl recipe that is ready in no time.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time15 minutes mins
    marinating time20 minutes mins
    Total Time45 minutes mins
    Servings: 4 servings

    Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!

    Author: Melissa Oleary

    Ingredients

    • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • 2 limes
    • 15 ounces pinto beans canned or fresh
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste you can substitute with a small finely chopped tomato.
    • ½ cup water for the beans
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil divided

    Southwest Spice

    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • 1 tablespoon Sweet paprika
    • ½ tablespoon Chili Powder
    • ½ teaspoon Black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon Onion powder
    • ¼ teaspoon Cumin Powder
    • â…› teaspoon Coriander

    Rice

    • 1 cup basmati rice Or any long grain rice

    Instructions

    Making the Rice

    • Grab the rice recipe here.
      1 cup basmati rice

    Making the Southwest Spice Mix

    • Add all the ingredients for the spice mix into a small bowl and mix well.
      1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon Sweet paprika, ½ tablespoon Chili Powder, ½ teaspoon Black pepper, ½ teaspoon Garlic powder, ½ teaspoon Onion powder, ¼ teaspoon Cumin Powder, ⅛ teaspoon Coriander

    Marinating the Chicken

    • Slice your chicken breasts in half lengthwise making 2 thin chicken breasts out of one.
      3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • Add chicken breasts to a large sealable bag or in a shallow flat bottom bowl.
    • Squeeze the juice of one of the limes over the chicken.
    • Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the chicken.
    • Add ¾ of the spice mix to the chicken.
    • Seal the bag and mix the chicken around in the marinade and then refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
      Southwest chicken bowl on a marble counter.

    Making the Beans

    • Rinse and drain the canned beans.
      15 ounces pinto beans
    • Add beans to a small pan over medium low heat.
    • Add tomato paste, water and remaining spice mixture.
      ½ cup water, 1 tablespoon tomato paste
      beans for chicken bowl
    • Heat for 5 minutes over a gentle simmer then remove beans from the heat and cover.

    Cooking Chicken

    • Pre-heat a grill pan or large flat bottom pan over medium heat.
    • Once pan is hot, add a little olive oil to the pan.
    • Place chicken in the pan and pour the remaining marinade over the chicken then cook for 5 minutes on the first side.
      Southwest chicken breasts sizzling on a stove top.
    • Flip the chicken and cook for another 4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
    • Remove chicken from the heat and let rest for a few minutes.
      Grilled chicken served in a southwest bowl
    • Once rested, slice the chicken into thin strips.
    • Add cooked rice to bowl.
    • Place a couple spoonfuls of beans over the rice.
    • Add chicken over the rice.
    • Serve with a lime wedge for squeezing over the meat.
      single chicken bowl with beans
    • Enjoy.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 504kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 1898mg | Potassium: 977mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1265IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 4mg

    Nutrition Values are estimates only.

    See full nutrition disclaimer here
    Course :healthy dinner, Main Course

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Melissa says

      September 22, 2022 at 4:41 pm

      I am so glad to hear that 🙂

      Reply
    2. vicki says

      September 22, 2022 at 12:19 pm

      5 stars
      Easy and very tasty!

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        September 22, 2022 at 4:41 pm

        I am glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    3. Brian says

      March 07, 2022 at 8:39 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious

      Reply
    4. Dana says

      March 07, 2022 at 8:39 pm

      5 stars
      Everyone really enjoyed this. The spices in this chicken bowl were so good. A really great recipe

      Reply

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    profile picture of Melissa from Keeping It Simple Blog

    I am so excited you are here. My name is Melissa and I started this recipe website to share easy recipes that I have been cooking for years. I have written hundreds of easy recipes that are tested and perfected. Some of the recipes I learned during my years of working in restaurants, some from owning my own food company and others come from friends and traveling.

    More about me →

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