After practice
Everyone builds their own bowl and nobody complains.
The chicken is already shredded, so all that is left is a quick warm-up and a row of toppings.
Picky eaters pile on exactly what they want, which is the fastest path to a quiet table at eight.
Ingredients
Start after-practice chicken taco bowls with the ingredients here and a clear 10 minutes to assemble (chicken cooked earlier) slot.
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 3 cups cooked rice or 1 bag microwave rice
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
- 1 cup salsa or pico de gallo
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1 avocado, diced
How to Make It
Before an early leave time, keep after-practice chicken taco bowls steady enough to fuel practice without feeling heavy.
- Warm the shredded chicken in a skillet with the taco seasoning and a splash of water for 4 minutes until heated through and coated.
- Heat the rice and the beans, either together in the microwave or in a small pot.
- Build each bowl with rice on the bottom, then chicken, beans, and cheese.
- Top with salsa, lettuce, and avocado and let everyone finish their own.
Do the Slow Part Early
Cook and shred the chicken before practice so the after-practice job is just warming and building. A rotisserie chicken counts as done early.
- Shred the chicken in the morning and keep it in the fridge
- Drain and rinse the beans and prep the toppings into bowls
- Cook the rice ahead or keep a bag of microwave rice on hand
Store and Reheat
Store the warm parts separate from the cold toppings so nothing goes soggy. Reheat only the chicken, rice, and beans.
- Microwave the chicken and rice together 2 to 3 minutes with a splash of water
- Keep lettuce, avocado, and salsa cold and add them after reheating
- Cooked chicken and rice keep 3 days in the fridge
- Serve with: tortilla chips, lime wedges
Parent Tip
Squeeze lime over the avocado to keep it green if you prep it ahead.
Make It Fit Tonight
Small Tweaks That Help This Dinner Land
Make it a burrito instead
Wrap the warm fillings in a large tortilla for an eat-in-the-car option.
Swap in ground beef
Brown 1 pound of beef with the taco seasoning if you have no cooked chicken.
Add a corn salsa
Stir thawed frozen corn into the pico for sweetness and crunch.
Go low-carb
Skip the rice and pile everything over shredded lettuce.
Set up a topping bar
Put every topping in its own bowl so picky eaters build exactly what they want.
Plan The Next Step
Set up your topping-bar nights
Use the planner to pencil in a couple of build-your-own dinners that move fast.