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With lots of delicious, vibrant flavor, juicy, tender chicken and a boatload of fresh healthy veggies, these Peruvian Chicken Rice Bowls take the humble chicken breast from ordinary to super extraordinary!
If you're feeling a little "meh" about chicken right now (or meals in general), these Peruvian Chicken Rice Bowls will turn your chicken world upside down!
Although we have a ton of favorite recipes in The Café archives, our Peruvian Grilled Chicken Skewers recipe is definitely up there in the top ten for our family, but also for Café followers, all over the world! Here are just a few of the many comments from our readers:
This was absolutely delicious !! The Peruvian green sauce just added that extra touch!! A total keeper!
Wow these are good. Made street tacos with them using small flour tortillas. These are a definite do-over. Thanks!
Amazing!!!! The chicken is so flavorful. Followed the directions and ingredients as listed. Be sure to serve it with the Peruvian Green Sauce. I used the sauce the next day as a dressing over a green salad with the leftover chicken. Everyone commented about the flavors and I've shared the recipes several times. Better than restaurant-quality!
This recipe is a taste buds delight! Thank you so much.
These were unbelievably delicious!! Hubby couldn’t stop raving about them and has requested me to make a bigger portion for him soon-ish 😉
We enjoy this chicken recipe all summer long and guests always rave about the wonderful flavor. Of course, it doesn't hurt that we serve it with a fabulous, herby Peruvian Green Sauce (aka Aji Verde) that's so bright and vibrant you want to eat it with a spoon.
A recipe for any time of year!
The problem with the Peruvian skewer recipe is the fact that there are lots of cold, windy, rainy, sometimes snowy days in many areas of the world during the fall, winter and even spring months. That makes it unsuitable for grilling dinner outdoors. So, for the days that we're hunkered inside or don't feel like firing up the grill, I came up with these Peruvian Chicken Rice Bowls which capture the wonderful flavor of the beloved skewers in a one-pan recipe that's easy to make, any time of year!
This recipe starts with a delicious, Peruvian-inspired rub. It's made from ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and others that are easily available at any grocery store. The simple but magical combination of garlic salt, brown sugar, sweet and smoked paprika, dried oregano, cumin and black pepper is way more than the sum of its parts!
Keep the rub on hand at all times
We enjoy the rub so much that I usually make a triple or quadruple batch and store it in a small mason jar. Having this smoky, sweet, garlicky rub on hand makes this chicken rice bowl recipe so simple. And sometimes, on busy days when I have less than 15 minutes to prepare dinner, I throw some veggies in the oven to roast and use the rub to make Scott and myself some super flavorful, super easy chicken breasts - a delicious, healthy dinner 1-2-3!
I use the technique from our Juicy, Tender Chicken Breasts post to prepare the chicken for these Peruvian Chicken Rice Bowls. It's easy, quick and, as the name suggests, produces amazing tender chicken breasts, every time! The rub adds fabulous flavor and color so it's definitely "bye-bye dry, boring chicken breasts"!
There's also a simple sauce that you'll need to put together for these Peruvian Chicken Rice Bowls. It's made up, again, of simple pantry ingredients (soy sauce, honey and ginger). The sweet, tangy sauce is added to the pan after the chicken is cooked and removed to a plate to rest.
The sauce is reduced to a somewhat sticky syrup and then combined with black beans and lots of diced bell pepper, red onion, jalapeños and chopped fresh herbs. This veggie medley pairs wonderfully with the tender chicken breasts.
Peru - a fusion of flavor!
Bon Appetit says that Peru "is considered by many to be the gastronomic capital of the Americas". And for good reason! The culinary history of Peru is quite fascinating. Peru's cuisine has been influenced over the years by both Asian and Latin American cultures, producing a wonderful fusion of flavors. That's why you find things like ginger and soy combined with cumin and other Latin American-inspired ingredients. If you're interested, you can read more about the history of Peruvian cuisine in our Peruvian Grilled Chicken Skewers post.
Put these delicious, flavorful Peruvian Chicken Rice Bowls on your menu ASAP. You will be thanking yourself and your family/friends will be requesting this easy dinner again and again.
Café Tips for making these Peruvian Chicken Rice Bowls
- Try to find fairly uniform-sized chicken breasts. If you have large variances in weight, the breasts will be finished at different times. The recipe will still work, but you'll have to watch the chicken a little more carefully towards the end.
- I've served this meal often without the Peruvian Green Sauce and it's delicious. But the vibrant sauce does add another layer of fabulous flavor as well as a really pretty presentation. I like to pass it at the table so everyone can take as much or little as they want (once guests taste it, they usually ask for a second helping!).
- After you cook the chicken, remove it from the pan and add the sauce mixture. Be sure to stir well and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. This is called "the fond" which is a French word meaning base. It's where all the wonderful flavor accumulates and you definitely want that in your sauce. Don't you feel fancy?
- You can use one or two cans of black beans for this recipe, depending on your taste. If you use one, you'll have a little more sauce and less veggies. If you use two, each serving will have more beans/veggies. It's delicious either way! In the picture above, I used 1½ cans of beans.
- Use an instant thermometer to determine when the chicken is finished. You want to remove it from the pan at 160˚F (71˚C). Chicken is actually done at 165˚F (74˚C) but it will finish up cooking as it rests. Instant thermometers aren't expensive but do ensure juicy, tender meat. This Kizen model is super fast and has a lifetime warranty.
- After the chicken rests, there may be juice on the plate. Don't throw this out as it has lots of flavor. Just add it to the pan with the beans.
- You can use any color bell pepper for this recipe. Rather than one large pepper, I like to use 6-8 of the mini peppers in a variety of colors. I think it makes a pretty presentation.
- I mentioned above that I love to make a triple or quadruple batch of the rub. This is so nice to have on hand for meals in a hurry. I don't add the lemon zest though until right before cooking.
- The rub is actually delicious on any meat as well as on roasted veggies, tortilla chips, quesadillas, Homemade Naan and sprinkled on y0gurt for a savory sauce.
- Don't like cilantro? Not a problem, use basil and/or parsley instead.
- You'll need a large, heavy-duty skillet for this Peruvian Chicken Rice Bowls recipe. I love my Staub Cast Iron skillet. It's definitely a beloved workhorse in my kitchen! (pssst... this would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift!)
Thought for the day:
He reached down from on high
and took hold of me;
He drew me out of deep waters.
Psalm 18:16
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoy any of these recipes, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.

- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- finely grated zest from 1 medium lemon
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 ½-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts 4 medium-size breasts
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 or 2 14.5-ounce cans black beans
- 1 large bell pepper finely chopped
- ½ medium red onion finely chopped
- 1 medium jalapeño seeded and finely chopped
- cooked jasmine rice
- fresh cilantro and/or basil
- Peruvian Green Sauce optional
- sliced avocado optional
- lemon wedges optional
- basil and/or cilantro leaves optional
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Combine brown sugar, garlic salt, cumin, both paprikas, oregano, pepper and lemon zest in a small bowl. Set aside.
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Combine soy sauce, honey and ginger in a small bowl and whisk well to combine. Set aside.
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Sprinkle the rub liberally on both sides of the chicken, Rub in with your fingers to coat well.
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Heat a medium large sauté pan (with a lid) over medium heat. Add the oil and butter and heat until it starts to sizzle just a bit. Add the chicken, smooth side down and cook for 3 minutes or until a nice golden brown.
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Flip to opposite side, cover the pan and lower the heat to medium low. Cook for 3-8 minutes (depending on the size of the breasts) or until internal temperature reaches 160˚F. If the breasts vary in size, the smaller ones will be done sooner. Remove the breasts from the pan as they reach 160˚F. Tent with foil to keep warm.
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Add the sauce mixture to the pan, increase the heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes scraping the bottom of the pan to stir up any brown residual (the fond). When the sauce thickens and gets more syrupy, add the beans and bring to a simmer. Cook for one minute then add the bell pepper, red onion, jalapeño and herbs. Stir well to combine.
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Serve the chicken in bowls with the rice and black bean mixture. Garnish with fresh cilantro and/or basil leaves and lemon wedges. Sometimes I also add avocado slices.
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.
If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.
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Candace says
Another wonderful chicken dish! Thank you . The spices & ingredients complimented each other - layers of flavor with each bite. Following the instructions for cooking the chicken kept it moist & tender, even the left overs. The green sauce is a must as it seems to tie the meal together. Used the left over breast sliced & rolled in a flour tortilla with the green sauce. Super tasty. My husband ate the left over sauce with a spoon.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks so much for letting us know, Candace!
Chris says
This was so good!
Katelyn says
This was amazing! I thought about not making the green sauce but would HIGHLY recommend doing so as it elevated all of the flavors of this dish. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thank you for letting us know, Katelyn!
Cookies4kids says
My hubby can’t eat much garlic. Do you think it would be terrible to leave it out of the rub?
Chris Scheuer says
Unless he has an allergy to garlic, if you could just cut the garlic salt back a bit and sub a little kosher salt, it would be better than completely omitting it. It does really add to the flavor of the rub in combination with the other ingredients. Hopefully, since it's not fresh garlic, he would be okay with that.
Ronnie says
I´m peruvian and i cant recognize anything peruvian on either recipe, where are you geting your inspiriation? Are you aware that jalapeños are not peruvian?
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Ronnie! I realize that jalapenos aren't Peruvian But when you don't live in a country, sometimes you have to adapt a recipe to what's available.
rachael says
But have you tried the dish? Taste buds aflame!!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Rachael 🙂
Nadine Dunker says
This was a delicious dish. It took me a bit too long to prep, because I did nann at same time. In the future, my planning will improve. What a guest friendly dish. Thank you for sharing. You make me want to live in the kitchen with all your wonderful recipes.
Charleen says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe, I was blown away! Dinner last night was amazing - it got a thumbs-up from Hubby, which means I can make it again. And that Green Sauce - WOW, it will now be a permanent condiment in our fridge.
Denise says
Definitely worth the prep, flavors are amazing! Loved the Peruvian Green Sauce which we had leftovers and used to compliment other dishes to add that wonderful flavor! Another recipe keeper from "The Café" for me! Thank you!!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Denise, for taking the time to share your results. I'm so happy you enjoyed it. And, yes, that green sauce is good on just about everything!
Judi says
So this time I did the whole recipe PROPERLY. Lots of prep that I did well ahead. This was even more amazing than last time and the green sauce is spectacular; we are using it on everything. Doing the four chicken breasts does 2 meals for us. Such a great recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Judi! I'm super happy that you enjoyed this recipe. And, yes, that green sauce goes so well with so much!
Kathy says
We made this for dinner last night & loved it! The rub for the chicken is great & I especially appreciated having the instructions on how to cook the chicken so stays tender & moist. At first glance it looked like a lot of steps & ingredients but it came together pretty quickly. The blend of flavors was just perfect. Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Kathy! I'm super happy that you loved this recipe as much as we do!
Judi says
WOW. This exceeded all expectations. I had never made one of these bowls; just picked them up. It looks liked a LOT of work but isn't. I need to work on getting my mis en place organized. But even though I made it somewhat haphazardly it turned out gorgeous... The best we have ever had. By a long way.. This will be in my 'hall of fame' for great meals.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! I'm so happy you enjoyed these rice bowls, Judi. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your review!
Pat says
I have reactions to sugar so substituted Agave with good success. Also yellow rice instead of Jasmine. Loved the combination and flavors are just terrific! Located some Budda bowls some time back which pulled it all together as you did. Wonderful dinner. Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it, Pat. Thanks so much for sharing your results and your substitutions 💕!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Jennifer! Hope you enjoy it!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
I am loving the sounds of this rub with all it's great spices together. And of course, with rice and other goodies, it's such a perfect dinner! I will be trying this one soon 🙂
Josie says
This sounds really good. How much rice (cooked or uncooked) should I use?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Josie, the standard rice serving is ½ cup cooked rice but we like a little larger serving. 1 cup of uncooked rice will yield about 3 cups of cooked rice.