Chili-Citrus Grilled Chicken And Veggie Bowl Recipe

Published May 16, 2013 01:06PM

During a busy week filled with training and work, it’s key to have a go-to recipe that makes a large batch and hits the mark on nutrition. This chicken and veggie bowl uses one marinade that’s easy to whip up and packs flavor into these simple ingredients. Follow this recipe to have dinner ready for your family, or to make four individual meals ready to go for lunch or dinner when you don’t have time to cook this week.

Ingredients

3 cups, cooked, brown rice or quinoa
16-20 ounces chicken breast
2 zucchini
2 yellow squash
2 red peppers
1 cup prepared black bean and corn salsa*
Juice and zest of 2 limes
Juice and zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons agave
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
*Black bean and corn salsa can be found next to the regular salsas in most grocery stores. You can also combined canned beans with fresh, canned or frozen corn as a simple alternative.

Preparation

1. Heat the grill or grill pan to medium-high.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the juice and zest of the orange and limes with the canola oil, agave, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce, salt and pepper.
3. On a large cutting board, cover the chicken breast with saran wrap, and pound with a meat mallet (or rolling pin), so it’s about ½ inch thick. This will tenderize the meat and allow it to absorb more of the marinade.
4. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour half the marinade over it. Massage the marinade into the chicken and let sit for 20 minutes, or up to overnight in the fridge.
5. Next, remove the ends from the zucchini and yellow squash and cut in half, length-wise. Remove the steam and seeds from the red peppers and cut each one into quarters.
6. Place the vegetables in the large bowl with the remaining amount of the marinade.Toss until well coated and let sit 10 minutes.
7. Grill the chicken 4-5 minutes per side, until cooked through.Grill the veggies about 2 minutes per side, so they get a nice char, but also keep some texture.
8. Let the chicken sit for 2-3 minutes and then slice on a diagonal.Chop the veggies into about 1-inch pieces.
9. To make a large family style meal, pour the rice or quinoa in a large serving dish. Lay the slices of chicken and chopped veggies over the top and then top the chicken with the black bean and corn salsa. Optional: serve with avocado, lime segments, chopped lettuce or crumbled Mexican cheese.
10. To make individual meals, divide the rice or quinoa in 4 Tupperware (3/4 cup in each). Next, divide the chicken and veggies evenly among the containers. Finally top each meal with ¼ cup of the black bean and corn salsa.

Jessica Cerra is the owner of Fit Food by Jess, a private chef and catering company in Encinitas, Calif. She is also a professional Xterra triathlete and mountain biker. Follow Jess’ recipes at Fitfoodbyjess.com or on her “Fit Food by Jess” Facebook page.