SALSA CHICKEN MEAL PREP BOWL

The other day, I fell into the rabbit hole of searching online for diet and macro-friendly meal delivery companies. This is a growing business, and I was curious to see what food they offer. The easy meals I found were affordable (IMHO), and you don’t have to cook them. For those who can’t afford to pay $9-12 per meal for delivery, I made it available as a DIY option. These Salsa Chicken Meal Prep Bowls are super easy to make and can be customized to suit your preferences (or macros). 😉

In the next few weeks, I will hopefully have more options!

SIMPLE MEAL PREP FORMULA

It is easy to prepare meals. Pick a protein and a vegetable. Then add fat or sauce to your choice. This southwest-inspired meal prep included shredded chicken with salsa, roasted bell peppers and brown rice. To make it more macro-friendly, you can adjust the amounts of any four ingredients.

PREP YOUR SALSA CHICKEN MEAL

This meal was simple to replicate the meals you would get from meal delivery services. However, you can make it more elaborate if you wish. You can add more toppings such as fresh jalapeno, pickled red onion, or tortilla chips. You could add a bit of cheese to mine.

SALSA CHICKEN MEAL PREP BOWL

These Salsa Chicken Meal Prep Bowls can be customized to suit your diet and macros. They are also 1/3 the price of meal delivery services.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

BROWN RICE

• One cup of brown rice ($0.60*).
• 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
• 1.75 cups of water ($0.00).

SALSA CHICKEN

• 2 chicken breasts, each about 1.3 lbs. total) ($5.62)
• 16 oz. salsa ($1.99)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth ($0.07)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder** ($0.10)

ROASTED BELL PEPPERS

• 3 bell peppers ($2.99)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.04)
• pinch salt ($0.02)

TOPPINGS

• 2 green onions, sliced ($0.22)
• 4 Tbsp sour cream ($0.11)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 425oF Brown rice should be cooked according to package instructions. Add the rice, water, salt and water to a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 35 minutes.
• Start the chicken while the rice is still cooking. In a medium saucepan, combine the salsa, chicken broth, chili powder, and chicken breasts. Could you give it a quick stir?
• Cover the pot with a lid and bring to boil on high heat. Turn the heat down to low once the liquid has boiled. Let the chicken simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Keep it simmering, and adjust the heat if necessary.
• While cooking the rice, chicken and beans, make the bell peppers. The bell peppers can be cut into strips of about 1/2 inch. Put them on a baking tray and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle some salt on top.
• The peppers can be roasted in the oven for between 20-25 minutes or until golden on the edges. Stir once halfway through.
• After 30 minutes of simmering, take the chicken out of the salsa mixture. Use two forks for shredding the meat. Mix the shredded chicken with the salsa mixture and return it to the pot.
• After the rice has cooled and the chicken and peppers have been roasted, it is time to make the bowls.
• Each container should have 3/4 cup rice, 1/4 cup roasted peppers and 1/4 cup shredded chicken. The salsa mixture should be poured over the chicken shredded in the containers. The salsa mixture will be used to moisten the dish. Serve immediately with sliced green onion and a dollop of sour cream.

NOTES

*I had only brown basmati rice today. This rice is considerably more expensive than regular brown rice. **The chili powder is not spicy.

NUTRITION

Serving Size: 1 Serving Calories 456 kcal Carbohydrates 51 g Protein 38 g Fat 12 g Sodium 1348 mg Fiber 6 g