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California Chicken, Veggie, Avocado and Rice Bowls. Also known as the non-boring chicken and rice dinner bowl that’s so darn GOOD. Spice rubbed grilled chicken served up bowl style with grilled peppers, zucchini, mashed avocado, tomatoes, and crumbled cheese. This easy, healthy, chicken and rice bowl is made almost entirely on the grill, all in under 30 minutes, using fresh from the market ingredients. It’s a great weeknight meal that can easily double as a delicious packed lunch the following day.
You guys! Yes, I have another chicken and rice bowl for you, and it’s SO GOOD. This bowl has been a staple in my kitchen for years and years. It’s kind of my form of summer comfort food. This recipe brings back all the childhood memories for me. While this is absolutely nothing like the chicken and rice my dad served my brothers and me as kids, it still has the core ingredients, grilled chicken and steamed rice.
I am not even joking when I say this, but we ate grilled chicken and rice at least twice a week during the summer months back in Cleveland. It was my dad’s go-to dinner. Probably because it was the easiest thing he could cook up after work and also because we all loved it. With a house of 6 boys and 2 girls (my mom and I…Asher hadn’t entered the world yet), it was a miracle if everyone actually agreed on a dinner, let alone loved it.
Point of the story? I grew up on dinners of chicken and rice. Looking back, Dad’s were a tad on the bland side, but regardless, I loved them. To this day chicken and rice is still a comfort food for me.
Enter in these California chicken, veggie, avocado and rice bowls. They’re kind of inspired by my dad’s grilled chicken. Kind of inspired by the fresh flavors and produce of California style cooking. And kind of DELICIOUS.
First up is the chicken. This is definitely not my dad’s style of grilled chicken, which was a very basic, olive oil, salt, and pepper situation. Nah, this chicken is well seasoned and so much more flavorful. Think lemon pepper with plenty of garlic, a little heat, a touch of paprika, and so much fresh parsley and basil (mostly because our garden is overflowing with herbs right now). It’s simple and subtle, but yet also flavorful.
Best part? You can most likely find all of the ingredients in your pantry. Well, with the possible exception of fresh herbs, which you may even be growing in your garden? YES.
I love a pantry staple recipe. Keeps weeknights stress-free.
OK. Moving onto the rest of the bowl…the rice, the veggies, and the avocado.
For the rice, I just did a super simple steamed rice. Steamed rice is my fall back and what I have loved forever. That said, you can certainly use brown rice, quinoa, or even cauliflower rice if you’re looking to bulk up your vegetable content. Any of these will honestly be great.
Next, the vegetables. I used a mix of bell peppers and zucchini. Now, before you dismiss the vegetables, let me explain something. Grilling vegetables gives them a whole new identity. They char up, turn sweet, and take on a nice smoky flavor. They’re so good, I could eat them every single day. Especially bell peppers, they’ve been my favorite since I was kid…again I was an odd little girl that loved her veggies. Nothing has changed.
The chicken and the vegetables are grilled at the same time. While that’s happening, your rice should be cooking away on the stove. By the time the rice is cooked, the chicken and vegetables should be coming off the grill. At this point, it’s time to assemble.
Well almost…
You need some mashed avocado first. More specifically, mashed avocado with lemon, parsley, and a good amount of flaky salt.
Ok, now we can assemble.
It goes like this, rice, chicken veggies, and a large dollop of mashed avocado. Add fresh cherry tomatoes and a little bit of cheese. I personally love blue cheese, but you can use crumbled goat or feta cheese if you prefer. And finally, toasted walnuts, because walnuts feel very “California” to me.
About 30 minutes after starting you’ll have the prettiest, tastiest, healthy bowl of chicken, veggies, avocado, and rice. I know it’s kind of simple, but trust me, the flavors are out of this world good. I couldn’t love this bowl more. It’s the chicken and rice dish I loved growing up, but much more “done up”.
Lastly, I feel like I should mention that this is without a doubt one of my mom’s all-time favorite recipes. I’ve never met someone who loves a simple chicken and rice dinner more than her. So every chance I get, I make this for her. She likes her bowls with double the rice, extra basil, more peppers than zucchini, and possibly a side of buttery grilled corn too. Oh, and bread, can’t forget the bread!
Hey…she knows what she loves.
If you make these California Chicken, Veggie, Avocado and Rice Bowls, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
California Chicken, Veggie, Avocado and Rice Bowls
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1174 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken tenders
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley or basil, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried)
- kosher salt and black pepper
The Rice + Veggies + Avocado
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into fourths
- 1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 avocados, mashed very well
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 2 cups cooked basmati rice
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta, goat, or blue cheese
Instructions
- 1. In a gallon-size zip-top bag or bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, onion powder, cayenne, smoked paprika, rosemary, parsley, and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss well to coat. Marinate for 10 minutes or up to overnight in the fridge.2. In a gallon-size zip-top bag or bowl, combine the red peppers, zucchini, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.3. Set your grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium-high heat.4. Grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side, until chicken is cooked through and has light char marks. While the chicken is grilling grill the peppers and zucchini for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until charred. Remove everything from the grill and let cool 5 minutes. Once cool slice the red peppers into strips.5. In a medium bowl, combine the avocado, lemon juice, parsley, and garlic, and season with salt and pepper.6. To assemble, divide the rice among 4 bowls or plates. Top each bowl of rice with equal amounts of chicken, grilled peppers and zucchini. Add a large dollop of avocado and then add the fresh tomatoes and walnuts. Sprinkle with cheese (if desired). EAT!
So delicious and healthy! I used quinoa instead of rice and didnt have any tomatoes, so used corn instead.
Hi Caitlin,
Wonderful! I really appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I just had to add another comment about this recipe. SO delicious!! I always mix up the dressing and sides so it’s a bit different each time. Love this one so much – thanks AGAIN for this recipe.
Hi Danelle,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
This was so good. I didn’t have any fresh spices so I just used dried. Definitely will make again! Love all your recipes!!
Hi Erica,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Ahhh another half baked harvest recipe takes the cake! I’ve made this multiple times now and it’s a winner with my brother!!
Thanks heaps for the yum recipe 🙂
Hey! Thanks SO much for trying out this recipe, I hope you loved it! xxTieghan
I had some extra chicken breasts (after another HBH recipe!) and thought “I will just browse the site for a new to me recipe!”. Great quick idea that kids can taylor to what they like. Thanks as always!
Hi there! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! 🙂 xTieghan
Ahhh another half baked harvest recipe takes the cake! I’ve made this multiple times now and it’s a winner with my brother!!
Thanks heaps for the yum recipe 🙂
Loved it! My husband and teen/pre-teen daughters loved it too! I’m working my way through your recipes as I just discovered you recently. Everything is delicious!
Hey Kelly, Happy Thursday! So glad this recipe was enjoyed and thanks for making it! xTieghan
Love a good chicken and rice bowl!
Hey Erin,
Happy Sunday! I love to hear this recipe was enjoyed and I truly appreciate you giving it a try! xxTieghan
Thank you for the great recipe it is simple and healthy. Great for families with growing children. I finally got my children to eat fajitas including peppers which is a really great accomplishment.
Hey Michelle,
Happy Sunday! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you taking the time to make it! xTieghan
This recipe was amazing! The chicken was absolutely delicious. The only thing I would say is I recommend adding a sauce to the recipe. Even with the creamy avocado I found a sauce would have been nice. However, I will definitely make this again.
Hey Ellen,
Wonderful! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
We love this recipe. Thinking of making for large family reunion- could I marinate and freeze the chicken ahead of time?
Hey Kirsten,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Yes you could definitely do that:) xTieghan
I made this with island teriyaki marinated tempeh instead of chicken. It was amazing! Thanks for sharing ?
Hey Sarah,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! ☀️xTieghan
My 8 year old son was my sous chef – he did most of the work while I supervised. 🙂 We used a grill pan for the veggies and chicken. Only thing we did differently was toast the walnuts on the stove. Was fun to do together and he was so proud of himself. Thank you for the recipe.
Hey Ashley,
Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a go, I am so delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
I always like to say if I did anything different, and for this recipe I did cook my veggies in my cast iron skillet to get a good char on them instead of the grill. Everything else I did as the recipe is written. The chicken was amazing – great flavor! It had a little heat with the cayenne, but my husband and I only noticed it when we ate a piece by itself not mixed in with all the other yummy goodness. Oh, and I did do half a yellow squash and half a zucchini as well as one red and one green bell pepper….but that wouldn’t have changed anything (just added more color). I thought about making some lemon garlic tahini dressing to drizzle over this next time. I made a copycat recipe recently from Panera’s warm Mediterranean grain bowl that had that recipe and it would be a perfect light addition.
Amazing! I am really glad this recipe turned out well for you, Leslie! Thank you! xTieghan
DELICIOUS!!! So yummy and full of flavor and healthy to boot! This is one of those meals you feel better after eating it. Yum Yum YUM.
I make at least one HBH recipe a week. I should comment more often because of how much I utilize your recipes. Love them. Always searching for a way to use what is in my fridge at the end of the week after preparing specifically for a HBH recipe at the start of the week. Loving the recipes more and more!
Anyway, this is the perfect ‘host a friend on a weeknight’ type of meal. Impressive, yet simple and delicious. Thanks!!!
Aw that is so amazing to hear! I am really glad you have been enjoying my recipes, Holly! Thank you! xTieghan