Grilled Chicken Burrito Bowl
Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.
Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.
INGREDIENTS
For the Chicken:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 chipotle peppers, rehydrated in hot water till soft, then finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
For the Rice:
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cup white basmati rice
2 cups water
1 lime
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
kosher salt to taste
For the Cilantro Vinaigrette:
1 shallot, roughly chopped
2 cups tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed (about 4 ounces)
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Other things for the bowls:
2 Avocados, thinly sliced
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced into strips and grilled
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced into strips and grilled
1 Zucchini, sliced into half moons and grilled
Freshly shredded Monterey Jack
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Chicken:
Combine the vegetable oil, chopped chipotle peppers, garlic powder, cumin, dried oregano, and black pepper in a small bowl and stir to combine. Place the chicken in a large zip top plastic bag and add the marinade. Zip the bag and mix the chicken into the marinade. Place it into the fridge and let it marinate for at least 1 hour.
Heat an indoor or outdoor grill to about 400 degrees F (medium high heat). Place the chicken onto the grill and grill 5 to 6 minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes. Chop the chicken into small bite sized pieces and use as needed.
For the Rice:
In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the white rice and lime juice and sauté for 60 seconds to toast the rice. Add the water and bring the rice to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low and cook until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed. Add in the cilantro and fluff rice with a fork.
Arrange equal parts of the white rice and chopped grilled chicken in 4 bowls. Top with equal parts of the Sliced Avocado, grilled bell peppers, grilled zucchini, Monterey jack cheese and serve alongside the cilantro vinaigrette.
Slightly adapted from a recipe from whatsgabycooking.com