Oh, dudes.
Is it okay if I call you dude? I know I’m almost 70 years old and it’s not exactly age appropriate, but the cyclone of my heart pump leads me down a path of juvenility unstoppable to even myself.
I wish I could Brady-Bunch-opening-credit myself into the center of these photos and look around at them all proudly. Like Alice does, ya know?
Oh hey there, diced chicken being dowsed with Mexican spices. Good to see ya!
Oh wowza, there you are all seared and sautéed and scrumptious. Noice jorb.
Oooooo, black rice. I’ve never seen such black rice-y-ness.
Oh golly gosh, Sam did you put bacon in that guacamole? Oh, Saaaaam.
(Remember Sam? Sam the butcher?)
Well my lands, look at all those scallions in that food processor. This will only hurt for a minute! Haha! Oh.
And don’t even tell me that’s jalapeno in those beans and corn. Jeeeeepers.
Is it bad form to beg?
Because I’m about to come undone. Dudes.
m-a-k-e-t-h-i-s.
Chicken Burrito Bowls with Bacon Guacamole and Scallion Pesto:
What it took for 4 bowls:
* 2 chicken breasts, diced into small cubes
* 1 Tbs. ground cumin
* 1 Tbs. chili powder
* 1 tsp ground coriander
* 1/2 tsp garlic salt
* 1 pinch crushed red pepper
* 2 slices bacon
* 1 cup uncooked black rice
* 1 avocado
* 3 Tbs. fresh lime juice, divided
* 1 bunch scallions, white ends trimmed and discarded
* 3 Tbs. toasted pepitas
* 2 cloves garlic
* 3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tsp
* 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (and seeded for less heat)
* 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 (10 oz) can Mexi-corn, drained
* 1/2 cup crumbed cotija cheese
* chives for garnish (optional)
* 2 cups baby spinach leaves
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Cook the black rice in a rice cooker, or your favorite stove-top method.
In a small bowl, mix together the cumin, chili powder, coriander, garlic salt, crushed red pepper, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle the spice mix over the diced chicken until coated all over. Set aside.
Render the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. When crispy, remove the bacon and place on paper towels to drain. Crumble with fingers. Taste one to make sure the pigs did it right.
Back in the skillet, drain all but about 2 Tbs. bacon fat. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat and add the chicken. Sear the chicken until browned all over and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from pan and cover to keep warm.
In a small sauce pan, bring the tsp oil to a medium heat. Add the jalapeno and sizzle for a minute. Add the black beans and corn; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low while you finish the rest of the meal. Stir once in a while.
In a food processor, combine the scallions, garlic, toasted pepitas, 2 Tbs. lime juice and a pinch of salt. With the motor running, add the remaining 3 Tbs. oil in a thin stream until you get a nice pesto consistency.
In a small bowl, combine the avocado, bacon crumbles, the remaining Tbs. of lime juice and a small pinch of salt. Mash until you get a guacamole of the most unearthly caliber.
FINALLY, place a small heaping of black rice in the bottom of each bowl. Top with baby spinach leaves, cooked chicken, a few spoonfuls of the black bean/corn mixture, a healthy dollop of the bacon guacamole and the scallion pesto. I’m starting to lose it just thinking about it.
Now just garnish with a little bit of the crumbled cotija cheese. Someone has GOT to tell me how to pronounce this word. And maybe a chive or two for prettiness?
Aaaand go.
Don’t you want to just nestle your whole head right in that?
Ohhhh yes, burrito bowls! These look fantastic!
Dudeeeeee! These burrito bowls just made my miserable morning face perk up.
bacon guacamole…..done!
DUDE – when you’re making stuff like this, call me whatever you want! Mmmm… this is my perfect meal!! DELICIOUS
There’s too many good things in there for me to be able to comprehend it. Must make!
I’d like all of these things in one giant bowl and on my desk for lunch at around 12:17 p.m. Can you make it happen?
Ooo a scallion pesto. That’s one way to use up the scallions I have
BA-UTIFUL. Only you could make a big bowl of burrito innards look this good.
I think I just died…
O.MA.GOSH. Bacon guac? Can I come live with you?
Love this, Bev – sounds so tasty. The black rice is such a good idea!
I want to cry. This is the perfect recipe.
Gorgeous! Burrito bowls are my favorite. mmmmm
I cannot even express how badly I want this in front of me, now!
Yes—I do want to dive right in! YUM!
Cotija = Coh-tee-ha
The words “bacon guacamole” made my heart stop beating. I’m swooning.
Wuuuuut. Guacamole AND pesto in the same bowl? And bacon in the guacamole? And jalapeno in the beans? My little heart can’t take all these wonderful surprises!
Thanks for this crazy amazing recipe, DUDE.
I call everyone that on FB, but I spell it DOOD. It’s become this whole big thang.
Looks very yummy! I love mexican food!!
holy mother of everything. i want this asap!!
Drool. I need to start making this all the time. I never make burritos because I can’t get any quality tortillas for them in my neighborhood, but who needs tortillas when the filling is the best part?!
And yes, I was just thinking I wanted to put my whole face in that!
I thought my guacamole was pretty good … until I read the words “bacon guacamole.”
My guacamole is no longer good. Luckily, there’s always more bacon.
Bacon Guac. That’s hardcore awesome. Looking forward to giving this a whirl.
What tasty looking burrito bowls!
Cotija…(K, long O, tee, h short u sound) is how you pronounce it. I’ve seen them use it on a few Food Network shows and that’s how Aaron Sanchez pronounces it so I believe him
Your recipes are amazing btw. I found you through Pinterest, and we made your smoky corn, shrimp, bacon chowder last night and it was unbelievably good. So now I’m surfing through the rest of your blog to find more delicious morsels. Thank you for all you do! I can’t wait to try more. My entire family (even my 8 and 12 year old kids) devoured the soup. We will be making it again and again!