Chicken Enchilada Bowl with Red Chili Sauce
Tender chicken simmered in a vibrant red chili enchilada sauce that’s loaded with spice. Dish it up on a warm tortilla and share the bowl with steaming rice, black beans, roasted corn, and a bevy of colorful fresh toppings. It’s a delicious deconstructed enchilada bowl!
Equipment
- 7-quart slow cooker, preferably with a browning feature
Ingredients
- 2-½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large boneless chicken breasts, about 1-½ pounds
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 sweet onion, chopped, about 2 cups
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 1 can chopped tomatoes, 15-ounces
- 1 can tomato sauce, 15-ounces
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon honey chipotle powder or chipotle powder, optional
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups brown rice, divided
- 1 can black beans, 15-ounces, drained
- 1-¾ cup water
- For serving: Warm flour or corn tortillas, additional brown rice, roasted corn*, mixed field greens, tomatoes, avocados, grated Monterrey Jack cheese and sour cream.
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken breasts with 1-½ teaspoons of the kosher salt and the black pepper. Let the meat rest for about 15 minutes while you start the sauce.
- In a skillet or slow cooker with browning feature, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and warm over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until the onion is tender and lightly golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped garlic and continue cooking for 3 minutes.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce into the slow cooker, adding the onions and garlic if cooked in a skillet. Toss in the chili powder along with the cumin, chipotle powder, sugar, cocoa powder, and the remaining teaspoon of kosher salt.
- Add the chicken stock, stirring to mix the spices into the tomatoes, tomato sauce. Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce, covering them in the sauce.
- Set the slow cooker on low and cook for 4 hours.
- Add 1 cup of the brown rice and the black beans then switch the setting to high. Continue cooking for about 1 to 1-½ hours or until the rice is tender.
- To serve, line a large bowl with a warm tortilla. Shred or carve the chicken and place pieces of the meat on top of the warm tortilla along with the additional toppings.
- Top the chicken and rice with additional red chili sauce.
- For the extra rice:
- Pour the water into a medium saucepan. Add the remaining 1 cup of brown rice and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat then cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes or until the rice has absorbed the water.
- Let the rice set for about 10 minutes then fluff with a fork.
Notes
*If you prefer, you can use frozen corn, just warm before adding to the dish.