Salsa Verde Chicken & Rice
This is my tangier take on a chicken and rice bowl, built around salsa verde instead of the usual red salsa or BBQ sauce I lean on elsewhere. Black beans, corn, and melted Monterey Jack round it into something that still feels hearty.
Salsa verde brings a tangy, slightly tart flavor that's different from the usual red salsa bowls I make, and it works especially well simmered right into the chicken. Black beans and corn round the bowl out with the same heartiness I look for in any Tex-Mex style meal prep.
The tomatillo base in salsa verde gives this bowl a brighter, greener flavor than a lot of my other Southwest-style recipes, which is part of why I keep it in rotation. Beans add fiber and staying power, so this bowl doesn't leave me hungry an hour later.
Exact ingredient amounts and cook times are on the recipe card, built for a full ten-portion batch. Let the chicken cool before dividing everything up, then refrigerate what you'll eat within four days and freeze the rest. This salsa verde chicken bowl is a nice change of pace from the usual red salsa version.
Nutrition note: This is general food information, not individualized medical or nutrition advice.
Salsa Verde Chicken & Rice
YIELD
10 portions
ESTIMATED NUTRITION
545 calories • 53g protein • 57g carbs • 12g fat per portion
What I really like about this recipe is how easy it is to customize at serving time with a fresh topping or extra sauce.
Ingredients
• 5 lb chicken breast
• 7 1/2 cups cooked rice
• 2 1/2 cup salsa verde
• 2 1/2 can black beans
• 2 1/2 cup corn
• 1 1/10 cup shredded Monterey Jack
• 2 1/2 tsp cumin
Directions
1. Cook chicken with cumin; shred.
2. Combine rice, beans and corn.
3. Portion with chicken and salsa verde; top with cheese.
4. Let the food cool briefly, then divide it evenly among 10 airtight meal-prep containers. Add avocado or other delicate fresh toppings just before eating.
Meal-prep notes: Refrigerate promptly and use refrigerated portions within 3–4 days; freeze any portions you will not eat in that window. Reheat hot meals until steaming and 165°F internally. Nutrition is estimated per portion.
