Slow Cooker Sunday: Chicken burrito bowls with a tropical flair

Mexican food is my absolute favorite cuisine. I love cheesy quesadillas, crunchy tacos and especially a huge plate of nachos. While it’s yummy, it’s not exactly the healthiest thing to enjoy often. But we make lots of homemade Mexican food, and believe it or not, you can make it healthy and delicious.

In this recipe, I took the concept and flavors of a stuffed burrito and transformed them into a burrito bowl (minus the tortilla). Chicken breast is slow-cooked in a homemade tropical pineapple salsa, shredded and then served over fluffy rice and finished with sautéed peppers, onions and fresh fixings. The slow-cooked chicken makes great leftovers that can be doubled and used in salads, wraps or healthy soft tacos.

Tropical slow cooker chicken burrito bowls recipe

Chicken slow-cooked in a tropical salsa is shredded, served over rice and finished with fresh toppings for a super-easy burrito bowl. Tip: Use the leftover chicken on top of a big green salad, or prepare a wrap, and enjoy it for lunch the following day.

Serves 4

Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 4 hours | Total time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the pineapple salsa chicken

• 1 cup fresh pineapple
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons agave or honey
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, halved, seeds removed
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 large chicken breasts

For the burrito bowls

• 2 cups cooked white or brown rice
• 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 cup green or red salsa
• 2 avocados, sliced
• Sour cream, cheese, fresh cilantro and pineapple wedge, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Place all the pineapple salsa ingredients (except for the chicken) into a food processor, and blend until smooth.
2. Lay the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker, and pour the pineapple salsa on top. Set the cooker on high for 4 hours.
3. Once the chicken has cooked completely, remove it from the slow cooker, and shred it using 2 forks. Return the chicken to the slow cooker, and mix it with the salsa and chicken juices.
4. To assemble the bowls, divide the cooked rice among 4 bowls. Top each bowl with the shredded pineapple salsa chicken, and finish with your toppings of choice (tomatoes, onions, salsa avocado, sour cream, cheese or fresh cilantro).
5. Garnish the burrito bowls with a fresh pineapple wedge, and serve warm.
6. Store any leftovers for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

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