Cuban chicken quinoa bowls are the perfect weeknight dinner recipe that packs a lot of flavor and a ton of texture. These cuban chicken quinoa bowls are the perfect reason to break out the grill and keep things light and healthy this summer!
When it has been a month since I last posted a bowl recipe, I know that something is up and I better get a bowl recipe whipped up quickly! Zach and I could live on bowls. Seriously we could, for almost every meal in fact. I could go on and on about how much I love bowls, and why I adore them so. I won’t bore you with the mundane details, but I will say this, if you haven’t jumped on the bowl bandwagon, you must. They are so versatile and super fun to make!
One thing I had noticed when I was scrolling through my bowl archives, is that I had yet to post a cuban chicken bowl. I am obsessed with cuban food. I believe they have some of the most amazing flavors, and don’t even get me started on the fried plantains. They might just be my favorite part about cuban food. While this recipe doesn’t contain fried plantains, you are more than welcome to throw them into the mix. This recipe was already getting a little too long for my liking.
Speaking of long, don’t let the ingredients list in this recipe scare you. It looks like a lot, I know, but each step is extremely simple and quick. You are also more than welcome to add and subtract components to these bowls, and make customize them to your tastes. This is just how Zach and I prefer to make our bowls.
I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you! Pair these cuban chicken quinoa bowls with an IPA. It will really tone down the spice! Enjoy!
Cuban Chicken Quinoa Bowls
Servings:
4Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 jalapeno seeded, stemmed and chopped
- 5 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
Slaw
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 handful cilantro leaves
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- pinch of salt and black pepper
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 bag pre-shredded slaw mix I used a standard coleslaw mix
Guacamole
- 3 large avocados pitted, peeled and mashed
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
Quinoa
- 1 cup quinoa
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
Sweet Potatoes
- 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Black Beans
- 2 14- ounce cans black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- pinch of salt
- For serving: fresh lime wedges chopped cilantro.
Instructions
- In the bowl of your food processor, combine the orange juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, chili powder, honey, soy sauce, and black pepper. Pulse until smooth and pour it into a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Add the chicken to the bag and zip it up. Massage the marinade into the chicken and then place it in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Meanwhile, prepare your other bowl components. In the bowl of your food processor, combine the sour cream, olive oil, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt and black pepper, and cayenne pepper to make the slaw. Pour it into a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup of it for drizzling later on. To the bowl, add the pre-shredded slaw mix. Toss to coat and then adjust seasoning to desired taste. Cover and place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
- Next, prepare your guacamole. To a small bowl, combine the mashed avocado, cilantro, salt and black pepper, and lime juice until thoroughly combined. Seal it very tightly and place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.
- At this point, preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Take your chicken and skewer them onto metal or bamboo skewers. Set them aside.
- Start your quinoa by bringing the chicken broth, cumin chili powder and salt to a boil. Add the quinoa and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with fork and adjust seasoning to taste. Keep covered and warm until you are ready to serve.
- While your quinoa is cooking, prepare your sweet potatoes. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Toss the sweet potatoes in the cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, salt and olive oil on a baking sheet that has been lined with foil. Place it in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat, cover and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the black beans, chili powder, cumin and salt. Cook over low heat until warmed through. Keep warm until you are ready to serve.
- The last step is to prepare your chicken. On a greased grill grate, lay out your skewered chicken. Grill for about 7 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is cooked through entirely. Remove from heat.
- Assemble your bowls by layering chicken, black beans, sweet potatoes, slaw, and guacamole over a bed of quinoa. Drizzle with remaining cilantro sour cream and serve with fresh limes. Enjoy immediately!
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9 Responses
Wow, this sounds beyond amazing, LOVE all the ingredients and flavors in this!
I absolutely love cuban flavors because they’re the perfect mix of bright and spicy. These bowls look beautiful and a great substitute for rice bowls!
This just made me very very hungry! The flavors combo in this dish sounds incredible!
I love bowls, and this one looks too good not to try — just love the flavors here!
Justine, these bowls look absolutely amazing! Love how spice factor and how they’re so easy to customize to everyone’s unique taste.
Really wishing we would’ve had these for dinner tonight instead of what we did eat! Everything in these quinoa bowls sounds delicious!
I love cuban flavors! This bowl would be a huge hit in our house!