This Chicken and Wild Rice Bowl is what meal prep dreams are made of—wholesome, packed with flavor, and easy to pull together. It’s built around three solid layers: hearty wild rice, juicy grilled chicken, and tender sweet potatoes, all topped with a bright, zippy cilantro-lime sauce that seriously steals the show.
Why You’ll Love This Bowl
- Meal-prep perfection: These bowls store well and reheat beautifully.
- Balanced and satisfying: A great combo of protein, healthy fats, fiber, and greens.
- Big flavor: The cilantro-lime sauce adds a bold, fresh finish that ties everything together.
- Simple to customize: Add your favorite toppings to make it your own.
Ingredients Overview
Wild Rice
Use a boxed wild rice mix for convenience or make it from scratch with butter, broth, and a blend of herbs and seasonings. It forms the hearty base of your bowl.
Grilled Chicken
Boneless skinless chicken breasts, seasoned simply or with your favorite spice blend, grilled and sliced thin. You can also use pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to save time.
Sweet Potatoes
Microwaved until soft, then grilled or pan-seared for a crisp finish. These add sweetness and a satisfying texture.
Cilantro-Lime Sauce
This creamy, tangy sauce is packed with flavor. You’ll need:
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime juice + zest
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Jalapeño
- Dijon mustard
- Honey
- Almond butter
- Cumin
It’s quick to blend and totally addictive. Drizzle it on everything.
Optional Toppings
These bowls are great on their own, but if you’re feeling extra:
- Baby greens (arugula or spinach): Adds color and freshness
- Avocado: For creaminess and extra richness
- Sliced almonds: Add crunch
- Dried cranberries or tart cherries: A pop of sweetness and contrast
How to Make These Bowls
1. Cook the Wild Rice
Use two boxes of wild rice mix, or make it from scratch:
Combine rinsed wild rice, broth, butter, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for about 45 minutes until tender. Fluff with a fork.
2. Make the Cilantro-Lime Sauce
In a blender, combine cilantro, lime juice/zest, olive oil, garlic, jalapeño, Dijon, honey, almond butter, and cumin. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Prep the Sweet Potatoes
Pierce each potato with a fork. Microwave until tender (5–8 minutes depending on size). Let cool, remove skins, and grill or sear in a pan for a crisp outer layer, then cube.
4. Grill the Chicken
Halve and pound chicken breasts for even cooking. Brush with olive oil and season well. Grill or pan-sear over medium-high heat until cooked through. Let rest, then slice thin.
5. Assemble Your Bowls
Layer cooked rice, sweet potatoes, and chicken in your bowl. Drizzle generously with cilantro-lime sauce. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Storage Tips
- For meal prep: Divide the rice, chicken, and sweet potatoes into individual containers (five portions). Store the sauce separately. Add fresh toppings like greens and avocado right before serving.
- Fridge life: Keeps well for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Reheating: Microwave the base until warm, then top with sauce and fresh extras.
Pro Tip: The sauce may thicken in the fridge. Let it sit at room temperature and give it a good shake before drizzling.
More Ways to Enjoy This Bowl
- Use quinoa or farro instead of wild rice.
- Swap sweet potatoes for roasted butternut squash.
- Make it vegetarian with grilled tofu or chickpeas.
- Use the sauce as a dressing for tacos or salads—it’s that good.
Chicken and Wild Rice
This Chicken and Wild Rice Bowl is what meal prep dreams are made of—wholesome, packed with flavor, and easy to pull together.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons chicken seasoning blend (see note 1)
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 (6-ounce) packages Long Grain and Wild Rice Mix (see note 2)
- 4 to 5 sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds total)
- Toppings as desired (see note 3)
- 4 limes
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup cilantro, gently packed
- 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped jalapeño
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Zest the limes to get 1/2 teaspoon zest. Juice the limes to get 1/4 cup lime juice. In a small blender, combine the lime juice and zest with all the sauce ingredients except the olive oil. Pulse to combine, then drizzle in the olive oil and pulse again to incorporate. Transfer the sauce to a mason jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Prepare the wild rice according to package instructions. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and keep covered to stay warm while preparing the rest.
- Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes. Pierce each one with a fork 6–8 times, then place them on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 5 minutes, flip, then microwave for another 3–5 minutes until tender. Once cool enough to handle, slice them in half lengthwise and peel off the skins. Spray both sides with cooking spray and sprinkle lightly with salt.
- In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, chicken seasoning, and cumin. Slice large chicken breasts in half horizontally, then cover with plastic wrap. Use a meat mallet or bottom of a pan to pound to even thickness without flattening completely. Pat the chicken dry, then brush both sides with the seasoning mixture or rub it on by hand. Set aside.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high, around 400–450°F. Clean and grease the grates using a paper towel dipped in vegetable oil. Grill the chicken for 4–5 minutes per side, flipping halfway through, until the internal temperature reaches 160°F.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and let it rest. Sprinkle with extra salt if desired. Add the sweet potatoes to the grill and cook for 2 minutes per side, flipping with tongs. Once done, remove and let them cool slightly, then coarsely chop. Thinly slice or chop the chicken as well.
- Divide the wild rice among bowls. Top with grilled chicken and chopped sweet potatoes. Add any desired toppings such as arugula or spinach, sliced almonds, dried cranberries, or chopped avocado. Drizzle generously with the prepared sauce and serve.
Notes
- I like using Mrs. Dash’s chicken grilling blend since it has no added salt. If your blend includes salt, reduce the amount of added salt in the rub.
- I use packaged long grain and wild rice mix, but if you prefer homemade, check the blog post for instructions.
- Great topping ideas include arugula spinach mix, avocado, sliced almonds, dried cranberries, or tart cherries.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 627Total Fat 32gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 25gCholesterol 129mgSodium 435mgCarbohydrates 35gFiber 5gSugar 10gProtein 51g
All Chicken Recipes.com, occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although allchickenrecipes.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.