Easy spice-rubbed Grilled BBQ Chicken in a delicious burrito-bowl style meal. This BBQ chicken can stand on its own or serve it with cilantro-lime rice, black beans, corn, cheddar cheese, avocado, tortilla strips, and an addictive spicy-sweet BBQ sauce. This is a meal you'll want to make over and over again!
RICE: Cook rice in chicken broth, stock, or water. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and add the juice of a lime (to taste; I add all of it) and cilantro to taste.
CHICKEN: Remove excess fat from the chicken breasts. Slice the breasts in half horizontally, cover with plastic wrap (to avoid splatter), and pound halves to an even thickness using a meat mallet or the bottom of your frying pan (this helps them cook evenly). Add the salt (if you are using table salt instead of fine sea salt, you'll need to reduce amount; also reduce if sensitive to salt), brown sugar, pepper chili powder, paprika garlic powder, onion, powder, and cumin to a small bowl. Stir to mix. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, drizzle with oil (use a silicone or pastry brush or your hand to evenly spread the oil) and then sprinkle and gently press this seasoning mixture evenly onto all sides of the chicken pieces.
Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat (about 400 degrees F.) (See Note 3.) Generously oil the grill or ridges of the grill pan. (I drench a rolled-up paper towel in vegetable oil and, holding it with tongs, rub it over the grill grates.)
Place the chicken onto the grill and grill 5 to 6 minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked through (registers 165 degrees F on a food thermometer and juices run clear). Remove the chicken from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes, tented with foil. Chop the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. If desired, baste the chicken with additional BBQ sauce as it cooks or toss it in BBQ sauce after you've chopped it into bite-sized pieces. (Add additional BBQ sauce to personal taste preference.)
ASSEMBLY: Divide the rice and chopped chicken onto 4 separate plates or bowls. Add your favorite toppings evenly among the bowls (we add drained and rinsed black beans, drained corn, avocado, Cheddar cheese, and tortilla strips. Whisk together the jalapeno ranch dressing and BBQ sauce and spoon/drizzle over bowls. (Add as much or as little of this sauce as you want; we love a lot of sauce!) Serve bowls with a few lime wedges and sprigs of cilantro if desired.
Notes
Note 1: For a smoky flavor use chipotle chili powder and/or smoked paprika.Note 2: I find the jalapeño ranch dip in the refrigerated area of the produce section of the grocery store. (See post for the product photo of what I used). Spicy ranch dressing also works here but is quite a bit spicier.Note 3: For other cooking methods check "Alternate chicken cooking methods" in the blog post.Note 4: Alternatives to canned corn: Sauté (drained or completely thawed out) corn kernels in a preheated large cast-iron skillet for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until kernels are lightly charred over high heat. Remove to let cool completely before adding. Alternatively, grill cobs of corn, let cool completely and then slice off the cob. To grill corn on the cob: Peel back husks and remove silk. Rub oil on all sides of the corn and lightly salt and pepper. Place on heated grill (400 degrees F) and rotate every 3-4 minutes or until charred. Remove, let cool, and then slice off the cob.