Chicken & Riced Cauliflower Burrito Bowl

The Day Reviews Ruined Chipotle For Me + A Recipe To Save The Day

Sometimes I wish I never discovered Google or Yelp reviews. They’ve both helped and hurt my decision-making process of choosing places to go. Before I was looking at these reviews, I wandered into fast food places and new restaurants spontaneously, blissfully unaware of how good or bad the place was. In 2015, however, I relied heavily on Google Maps reviews while staying in Germany, mainly because I wanted to find cool places to try and just get around easier. Returning to the US, it became the main app I use to help me decide where to eat.

Today, these reviews have saved me from wasting money at many subpar restaurants. Yet, they completely ruined my perception of one of old-time favorites, Chipotle. For 8 years, I was a regular at Chipotle, as the only healthy options in my area were either a salad bar or a smoothie joint. That all changed when I moved to the burbs of Illinois, searched for nearby restaurants, and saw these ratings:

Ratings had dipped dramatically compared to what I saw just 2 years ago. The reviews I read pointed to a lack of cleanliness, old guac, and lackluster service. It felt like someone calling my favorite band terrible. Naturally, I was skeptical that things could be this bad at all of the Chipotles around me, so I visited many of them myself. I was really hoping that the people who left these reviews were simply employees from competing restaurants. Unfortunately, my personal visits confirmed that these issues were true.

After reading those reviews, I did wonder: If I never saw these reviews, would I have noticed these issues? Or would I just walk in and order the burrito bowl I used to without issue? It’s a mystery. But one thing’s certain: my misfortune is about to be your gain. Introducing the Chicken & Riced Cauliflower Burrito Bowl recipe. It’s a combination of smoky chicken chorizo, juicy tajin marinated chicken, zesty pico de gallo, fire-roasted corn, and creamy queso, all seated atop a bed of fragrant cilantro jalapeno lime rice. Here’s hoping your local Chipotle doesn’t let you down, but if it does keep this recipe in your back pocket, just in case.

Here are my notes on making this:

• Look for 35-calorie queso. It’s not the tastiest but is decent for the calories. I used this one from Whole Foods.

• If you can’t find Tajin seasoning, make your own version at home by combining 4 tbsp chili powder, 2 tbsp of salt, and 1-2 tsp of lime zest.

• Feel free to add black beans, peppers, lettuce, and your other burrito bowl toppings to add volume to this meal.

• Make your own pico de gallo to elevate the flavor of the bowl.

As always, total calories and macros are at the bottom. Let’s dive into the recipe!

40G Protein Per Bowl | 392 Calories | 1 hour | 8 Servings

RECIPE

---

Ingredient List

Sauteed Tajin Chicken

• 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast

• 4 tbsp tajin seasoning

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 tsp salt

Cilantro Jalapeno Riced Cauliflower

• 5 lbs frozen riced cauliflower

• 5 tbsp pickled jalapenos, finely chopped

• 3 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves, finely chopped

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro stems, finely chopped

• 20g light butter

• Avocado oil spray

Chicken Chorizo

• 2 lbs ground chicken

• 3 tbsp chipotle pepper powder

• 3 tbsp smoked paprika

• 3 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 2 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp coriander

• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

• 4 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp salt

• Avocado oil spray

For Serving

• Fire-roasted corn

• Pico de gallo

• 35-calorie white queso

---

Cooking Instructions

Marinate Chicken 🐔

1. Chop up the chicken into cubes and combine with the olive oil, tajin seasoning, and salt. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients under the chicken chorizo list. Mix until well combined and set aside.

Make Riced Cauliflower 🥦

3. Preheat a pan over medium-high heat and spray with avocado oil.

4. Add in the jalapenos and cilantro stems. Cook for 1 minute then add in the riced cauliflower.

5. Cook for 7-8 minutes while stirring continuously, until the moisture evaporates and the cauliflower is tender.

6. Turn down the heat and add 10g of the light butter, chopped cilantro leaves, and a squeeze of lime juice. Season with salt to taste and stir together.

Cook Proteins 🍳

7. Coat a clean pan with avocado oil spray and preheat it to medium-high heat. Add the chicken chorizo and let it cook on one side for a minute.

8. Start breaking apart the meat with a spoon or spatula. Cook for about 6-8 more minutes until the ground chicken is fully browned. Take out of the pan and put in a bowl.

9. In the same pan, spray additional avocado oil and add the marinated chicken breast cubes. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken reaches 160 degrees.

Make Burrito Bowl 🌯

10. Warm up the fire-roasted corn in the microwave according to package directions. Do the same with the queso.

11. Add the desired riced cauliflower to a plate, followed by the corn, then the pico de gallo. Top with 4 oz of the Tajin chicken breast and 2 oz of the chicken chorizo.

12. Finish by spooning over 2 tbsp of the warm queso. Enjoy!

---

Thanks for reading Protein Cuizine! Did you enjoy this high-protein recipe? Don’t keep it a secret! Share it with someone else who might want to try it out.

Not feeling a burrito bowl? Discover more delicious high-protein recipes by checking out the archive. Enjoy your weekend and see you in the next newsletter!

---

Eat Well,

Marcus Matkins