Outside of Italian, Mexican cuisine is one of my favorites! I saw this fabulous idea on Pinterest (where else, right?!?!?!) on how to make your own tortilla bowl and it is so darn clever and simple!!! Then what goes inside… brown rice, roasted chicken breast simmered in a cilantro broth, fabulous pinto beans and topped with a fresh salsa! Each component is full of flavor and together make up a wonderfully fresh Mexican meal!

4 whole wheat tortillas
2 limes
store bought roasted chicken breast, diced
6 garlic cloves, sliced
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 shallot, diced
1/2  a yellow onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
a bunch of cilantro
olive oil

Oven at 350 degrees.
Lets start with the tortilla bowl. Ready for this, flip over a cupcake pan and push the center of the tortilla down in between the grooves. Bakes for 12-15 minutes until the tortillas are lightly browned and crisp.Now, you might be thinking eww canned pinto beans… but just wait these are slow cooked for a bit and are full of flavor!!! In a large sauté pan add a couple Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add in the diced yellow onion and green bell pepper. Cook until slightly softened. Add in 3 cloves of sliced garlic and cook until tender. Add in 2 1/2 cups of the chicken broth, the pinto beans and a hand full of torn cilantro leaves. Bring it to a boil then bring it down to a simmer, simmer for 10 minutes. Using a potato masher break up the pinto beans and allow it to simmer for another 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. The beans will thicken as it cooks and no liquid should remain. If you’d like the consistency a little smoother, mash it again at the end of the cooking time. I then squeeze juice from 1/2 a lime into the beans after they’ve cooked. 

While the beans are simmering away get the chicken going. Yes, I absolutely love using store bought roasted chicken as a shortcut. In the end the chicken will have so much flavor you’ll never now you used a shortcut here! Remove the breasts from the bone, remove the skins and dice. In a sauté pan add a couple Tbsp of olive oil. Add the shallot and 3 cloves of sliced garlic. Cook until softened. Add in the diced chicken, 2 cups of chicken broth, juice from 1/2 a lime and several handfuls of torn cilantro leaves. Season with salt and pepper and allow to simmer for 25-30 minutes.

 

Fresh Salsa

Ok heres the last component of this fantastic and fresh meal!

2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, small dice
1/4 red onion, small diced
juice from 1/2 lime
a drizzle of olive oil
a big handful of cilantro

Add all the ingredients in a bowl, mix to combine and season with salt and pepper.

Lets put this all together! Divide the rice between the 4 tortilla bowls. Top with those creamy pinto beans, then the chicken and finish off with this simple, bright flavored fresh salsa!

HAPPY EATS!!!!!

*these are my original recipes*