Chicken Burrito Bowls
Four Days of Lunches, One Cooking Session
Burrito bowls are the gold standard of meal prep. They're balanced, they reheat well, and you can customise each one differently throughout the week. This recipe gives you four generous portions with over 40g protein each.
YIELD: 4 servings PREP TIME: 15 minutes COOK TIME: 25 minutes TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes DIFFICULTY: Easy COST PER SERVING: £2.00
Nutritional Information (Per Serving)
| Calories | Protein | Carbohydrates | Fat | Fibre | |----------|---------|---------------|-----|-------| | 520 kcal | 42g | 52g | 14g | 8g |
Ingredients
For the Chicken
| Ingredient | Amount | Cost | |------------|--------|------| | Chicken breast | 600g | £3.60 | | Olive oil | 1 tbsp | £0.10 | | Smoked paprika | 1 tsp | £0.05 | | Ground cumin | 1 tsp | £0.05 | | Chilli powder | 1/2 tsp | £0.05 | | Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | £0.05 | | Salt and pepper | to taste | - |
For the Rice
| Ingredient | Amount | Cost | |------------|--------|------| | Long grain rice (dry) | 250g | £0.25 | | Tinned chopped tomatoes | 200g (half tin) | £0.18 | | Chicken stock cube | 1 | £0.10 | | Ground cumin | 1/2 tsp | £0.05 |
For the Bowls
| Ingredient | Amount | Cost | |------------|--------|------| | Black beans (tinned, drained) | 400g | £0.40 | | Sweetcorn (tinned, drained) | 200g | £0.35 | | Little Gem lettuce | 2 heads | £0.60 | | Tomatoes | 3 medium | £0.60 | | Red onion | 1/2 | £0.10 | | Lime | 2 | £0.30 | | Fresh coriander | small bunch | £0.50 |
Optional Toppings
- Low-fat soured cream
- Hot sauce
- Sliced jalapenos
- Grated cheddar
Total: £8.00 | Per serving: £2.00
Equipment Needed
- Large frying pan or griddle
- Saucepan with lid (for rice)
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Small bowl for seasoning
- 4 meal prep containers
Method
Step 1: Season the Chicken
Mix the smoked paprika, cumin, chilli powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Butterfly the chicken breasts (slice horizontally to make them thinner and even). Rub the spice mix all over both sides.
Step 2: Cook the Rice
Rinse the rice under cold water. Add to a saucepan with the chopped tomatoes, stock cube, cumin, and 400ml of water. Bring to a boil, stir once, then cover with a lid and reduce to the lowest heat. Cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Step 3: Cook the Chicken
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 5-6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through (internal temperature of 75C). Rest for 5 minutes, then slice into strips.
Step 4: Warm the Beans and Corn
Drain and rinse the black beans and sweetcorn. Warm them together in a small pan or the microwave. Season with a pinch of salt, cumin, and a squeeze of lime.
Step 5: Make the Fresh Salsa
Dice the tomatoes, finely chop the red onion, and roughly chop the coriander. Mix together with the juice of one lime and a pinch of salt.
Step 6: Assemble the Bowls
Divide the tomato rice between four containers. Add a portion of sliced chicken, black beans and sweetcorn, shredded lettuce, and fresh salsa to each. Squeeze lime over the top.
Step 7: Store
Let everything cool to room temperature before sealing. Refrigerate immediately.
Cost Breakdown
| Item | Cost | |------|------| | Chicken breast 600g | £3.60 | | Rice and stock | £0.53 | | Tinned beans and sweetcorn | £0.75 | | Fresh vegetables | £1.30 | | Herbs, limes, spices | £0.95 | | Olive oil | £0.10 | | Total | £8.00 | | Per serving | £2.00 |
Pro Tips
Butterfly your chicken. Cutting thick breasts in half horizontally means they cook evenly and quickly. No more dry outside and pink inside.
Cook the rice in tomato. This is a Chipotle-style trick. Replacing some of the water with tinned tomatoes gives the rice colour, flavour, and a slightly sticky texture.
Keep wet and dry separate. In your meal prep containers, put the salsa and any sauces in a small pot on the side. Adding them to the rice too early makes everything soggy by day three.
Lime juice is not optional. It ties everything together. Squeeze fresh lime over each bowl when you eat it, not when you prep it.
Meal Prep Option
This recipe is designed for meal prep from the ground up.
- Fridge: Keeps for 4 days. Store sauces and salsa separately.
- Freezer: The chicken and rice freeze well for up to 2 months. Don't freeze the fresh salsa or lettuce.
- Reheat: Microwave the chicken, rice, beans, and corn together. Add cold toppings (salsa, lettuce, soured cream) after reheating.
- Variation through the week: Change the toppings daily. Monday: hot sauce. Tuesday: soured cream. Wednesday: guacamole. Thursday: cheese. Same base, different meal.
Variations
Steak version: Use 500g bavette steak. Season the same way. Cook 3-4 minutes per side for medium. Slice thin against the grain.
Vegetarian: Replace chicken with 400g seasoned roasted sweet potato cubes and extra black beans.
Low carb: Skip the rice. Double the lettuce and add sliced avocado for healthy fats.
Spicier: Add chipotle paste to the chicken marinade. Stir diced jalapenos into the rice.
Common Mistakes
Dry chicken. The most common meal prep problem. Butterfly the breasts so they cook evenly, and don't overcook them. Resting after cooking is essential, not optional.
Bland rice. Plain white rice is boring. The tomato and stock cube make a massive difference. Season your rice properly and it carries the whole bowl.
Soggy bowls by day three. Keep wet ingredients (salsa, soured cream, hot sauce) separate until you eat. Use containers with dividers or small pots.
Forgetting to cool before sealing. Sealing hot food creates condensation inside the container which makes everything damp. Cool to room temperature first, then seal and refrigerate.
Shopping List
□ Chicken breast (600g) □ Long grain rice (250g) □ Tinned chopped tomatoes □ Chicken stock cube □ Black beans (400g tin) □ Sweetcorn (200g tin) □ Little Gem lettuce (2) □ Tomatoes (3) □ Red onion (1) □ Limes (2) □ Fresh coriander □ Smoked paprika □ Ground cumin □ Chilli powder
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Last updated: April 2026