Peruvian Chicken Rice Bowls - A dinner you'll want to make on repeat!

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:

It's Always Been You

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.

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Peruvian Chicken Rice Bowls

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!

Author: Chris Scheuer

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Peruvian

Keyword: Peruvian Chicken, Peruvian Chicken Rice Bowls

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

Servings: 6

Calories: 311 kcal

Ingredients

For the rub:

• 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

For the sauce:

• ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger

For the chicken:

• 1 ½-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts 4 medium-size breasts
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

For the black beans and peppers

• 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

For serving:

• cooked jasmine rice
• fresh cilantro and/or basil
• Peruvian Green Sauce optional
• sliced avocado optional
• lemon wedges optional
• basil and/or cilantro leaves optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the rub:

1. Combine brown sugar, garlic salt, cumin, both paprikas, oregano, pepper and lemon zest in a small bowl. Set aside.

For the sauce:

1. Combine soy sauce, honey and ginger in a small bowl and whisk well to combine. Set aside.

For the chicken:

1. Sprinkle the rub liberally on both sides of the chicken, Rub in with your fingers to coat well.

2. 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.

3. 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.

For the black beans and peppers:

1. 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.

2. 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.

Recipe Notes

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.

Calories 311kcal

Fat 8g

Saturated fat 2g

Cholesterol 78mg

Sodium 1723mg

Potassium 777mg

Carbohydrates 31g

Fiber 6g

Sugar 15g

Protein 30g

Vitamin A 1042%

Vitamin C 29%

Calcium 45%

Iron 3%

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