Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice

I was spending a lot of lunch money on some my favorite burrito bowls and decided to figure out how to create some tasty cilantro lime chicken and rice at home.  This is one of the closest meals I have to "no-prep" and it is one of my tastiest!  The only "fresh" ingredients are the cilantro and onion, because we are a family of two and waste too much food if it is not frozen, dry, or canned.

The chicken is made in the slow cooker.  The rice is made in a rice cooker.  However, that does not make for a concise title...anyway, here we go!

First things first, make sure you have the tools you need.  I live by my programmable slow cooker. This thing has been a power horse for me for years.  You can use any slow cooker, but since my hubby and I both work, I highly recommend a programmable cooker so you can set it and go.  I bought the 6.5 quart Cuisinart programmable slow cooker about 7 years ago.  It's a bit on the pricier side, but it has worked for me for years, so I trust it.


Materials:
Chicken Breasts - 4 frozen or thawed - I love this recipe because I don't have to thaw
Onion - 1 medium, diced
One can black beans
Lime Juice - I buy the bottled kind. You'll need about a quarter cup for the chicken and two or three tablesoons for the rice, to taste
Cumin - about 2 tbsp
Chili poweder - about 2 tbsp
Salt and Pepper to taste
Rice - two to three cups dry, depending on how much rice you want
fresh Cilantro - one bunch

Instructions:

Place the four frozen chicken breasts into the slow cooker.  Add the can of black beans (I do not drain but you can if that is a concern).  Dice the onion and add to the slow cooker.  Sprinkle the cumin and chili powder over the ingredients.  Add 1/4 c lime juice, or to taste.  You can always add more later. Salt and pepper to taste.  I probably use about 2 tsp salt and pepper each.  Set on low and cook for 8 hours or until the chicken is completely cooked.  I do not add additional liquid.  It will look dry to start, but my slow cooker is always full of liquid when I come home from work.

About 30 minutes before dinner, prepare your rice.  Rinse the rice.  Add rice to rice cooker.  A good rule of thumb for the water you'll need is to stick your finger in the rice. Place your thumb against your finger with the tip of your thumb at the surface of the rice.  Now move your finger tip to the top of the rice.  The tip of your thumb should be at the surface of the water.  Works like magic!  Or science :)  Take the cooked rice and add ti to a large mixing bowl.  Fold in 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp to 1/4c lime juice (to taste), salt to taste (3 tsp) and about a cup of chopped cilantro.  You can always add more butter, cilantro, lime and salt so long as the rice stays warm.  Just fold in the mixins until you love the way it tastes.

Remove chicken breasts with tongs and chop into bite size pieces, about 1 inch cubes. You will notice the chicken will shred a little bit while chopping.  That's ok! Your chicken is super tender! Add the chopped chicken to a big mixing bowl.  Take a slotted spoon and spoon in the beans and onions. Mix in about 1 cup chopped cilantro.  I like to use tongs to mix everything together.

Voila!  You have the main fixins for your own cilantro lime chicken burrito bowl!  We have used these to just have chicken and rice, put the chicken over salad for a low carb meal, and made decadent giant burritos!

Enjoy!