Chicken Burrito Bowl
Adobo chicken, esquites, cabbage slaw, and poblano ranch, served up in a bowl
This is the 10th recipe from Cooking Space.
Behold the bowl. Popular in restaurants and fast service spots worldwide these days, bowls are successful because they offer a great way to mend a lot of ingredients, bringing them together to form, hopefully, the perfect bite. And the perfect bite is just what I’m aiming to help you achieve with today’s recipe.
It’s fairly prep heavy, but none of the steps are especially complicated, so don’t be deterred. We’ll be deconstructing a classic chicken burrito, and taking things up to the next level by making a homemade version of Mexican street corn, aka esquites, cabbage slaw with poblano rajas, creamy poblano ranch, and more.
And, all that prep work will pay off when it comes time to get your creative juices flowing and assemble the bowl.
Let’s get going!
Ingredients
For the black beans
1 cup dried (or canned) black beans
Aprrox. 1 quart water
2 tbsps. oregano
4 tbsps. salt
1 tsp. cumin seed, toasted and ground
2 or 3 bay leaves
1 cup homemade sofrito:
81 grams yellow onions, julienned
24 grams red bell peppers, julienned
5 grams green bell peppers, julienned
2 grams garlic, chopped
4.8 grams chipotles
0.5 grams Mexican oregano
4.5 grams apple cider vinegar
0.7 grams sugar
4.8 grams blended oil
Salt, to taste
For the adobo chicken
3 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
3 pieces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
31 grams allspice
7.5 grams paprika
9 grams cayenne pepper
1.5 grams black peppercorns, ground
32 grams whole cumin, ground
1 gram chipotle powder
94 grams salt
8 grams brown sugar
7 grams sugar
2.5 grams ancho chile
3 grams canella
1 gram clove, ground
For the esquites
3 tbsps. butter
1/3 cup white onion, diced
2 cups corn, off the cob
1 tbsp. oregano, dried and chopped
2 tbsps. salt
2 cups corn stock:
1 onion
6 cloves garlic
12 corn cobbs
Water
A pinch of saffron
For the cabbage slaw
1/2 head green cabbage, finely julienned
2 carrots, finely julienned
1 red onion, finely julienned
1 poblano rajas, julienned
1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
For the poblano ranch
Green Puree:
1 cup poblano rajas
2 tbsps. roasted jalapeno
1 tbsp. cilantro, blanched
0.5 cups blended oil
Aioli:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsps. lemon juice
1 1/3 cups green puree
Ranch:
4 tbsps. buttermilk
1/3 cup crema
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
For the burrito bowl assembly
1/2 cup parboiled white rice (or regular brown rice)
1/3 cup cooked black beans
1 cup cooked adobo chicken
1/2 cup finished esquites
1/3 cup cabbage slaw, mixed and dressed
1 avocado, sliced
3.5 oz. poblano ranch
1/3 cup whole-roasted sweet potatos, wedged
1/3 cup crispy tortilla strips
2 tbsps. queso fresco, grated
1 tbsp. cilantro, chiffonade
Preparation
Prepare these ahead of time
Corn stock: Place all of the stock ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer for 2 or more hours. Strain, cool, and store in the refrigerator.
Sofrito: Sweat onions in oil until very soft, 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat, and place them in a blender with the remaining sofrito ingredients. Puree until smooth.
Lemon vinaigrette: Place all lemon vinaigrette ingredients, except for the olive oil, in a blender. While the blender is on a low speed, slowly begin to pour olive oil in, creating an emulsification. Continue until you’ve run out of oil.
Start the chicken
To prepare the rub, combine and thoroughly mix all spices listed in the chicken ingredients.
Rub chicken pieces with olive oil - this will allow the spices to hold more easily. Then, rub a generous amount of the dry rub on each piece of chicken. Let it marinate for about an hour (or feel free to marinade with the dry rub up to a day in advance).
Place chicken on a hot skillet with oil, and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, achieving a nice char. Finish in the oven at 375 F for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through and tender.
Prepare the corn (esquites)
Begin to prepare your esquites by lightly sweating onions in butter until translucent, but not brown. Add corn, and continue to cook for 10-15 minutes, or until corn is soft.
Add stock, oregano, salt, and more butter. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce immediately to a low simmer. Continue cooking for another 20 minutes, but do not allow the stock to reduce or lose moisture.
Prepare the black beans
Rinse the black beans in water and strain. Place in a small stock pot and cover with about a quart of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Continue simmering until beans are about 90 percent cooked, then add sofrito, cumin, and bay leaves. Continue to cook until the beans achieve a thick, stew-like consistency.
If using dried black beans, this cook will take between 45 and 90 minutes. If using canned black beans, they will cook much faster. To cook dried beans faster, soak them in water overnight before making this recipe.
Prepare the cabbage slaw
Peel carrots and red onions, then finely julienne using a knife or mandoline.
Roast poblanos until skin is soft and blistered. Wait until cool and remove the skin. Remove tops and seeds, and julienne about 1/8th inch thick. Finely chop cilantro. Combine all vegetables in a mixing bowl.
Dress with lemon vinaigrette just before serving (or up to an hour beforehand). Dressing right before serving will allow the slaw to stay crisp.
Prepare the poblano ranch
Start by creating the puree. Quickly blanch cilantro in lightly boiling water. Combine poblano, jalapeno, blanched cilantro, and oil in a blender. Puree until smooth, and leave in the blender.
Make your aioli by combining mayonnaise and lemon juice in the blender with the puree you just made. Blend until combined.
To finish the ranch, add buttermilk, crema, salt, and pepper into the blender, and blend until combined.
Finish & Assemble
Cook rice and set aside.
Roast the sweet potato, mixed with some butter and honey, wrapped in foil at 375 F for about 20 minutes. Cut into 1 wedge per burrito bowl.
Slice the roasted chicken.
To assemble the bowls, create a base with rice, corn, and black beans. Pour a bit of the juices from the beans and corn over the base to add a nice flavor. Place sweet potato wedge and chicken slices on either side of the bowl, atop the base. Place the cabbage slaw in the middle, between the potato and chicken. Drizzle poblano ranch over the dish. Finally, top with crispy tortilla strips for texture, and grated queso fresco.
Serve immediately.
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