Road Corn-Hen Burrito Bowl

Consider this burrito bowl as your favourite street-corner elote leaping off the cob and diving head-first into bowl dinner. A fast char in a screaming-hot skillet coaxes out smoky sweetness from recent corn, purple onion, and juicy hen thighs, whereas a contact of chipotle retains issues sultry relatively than fiery. The greens keep crisp-tender, lending a welcome snap towards fluffy cilantro-lime rice that perfumes the entire bowl with citrusy raise. 

Texture is all the time the winner relating to an amazing bowl dinner, and this one delivers. Tender grains, juicy hen, bursty corn kernels, and silky sauce, all punctuated by occasional pockets of char. A sprinkle of Cotija presents salty crumble, whereas recent jalapeño rings maintain your palate on its toes. Leftover rice? Toss it in. Want extra heft? Fold in a handful of black beans or avocado cubes.

Better of all, each element tolerates advance prep. You may marinate and sear the hen one night time, sear the corn on the cob and onions in the identical scorching pan, and you’ve got a fridge stuffed with smoky constructing blocks that reheat like a dream. Pack particular person containers for weekday lunches or serve all the things family-style, letting diners layer flavors to style.

One skillet, one pot, half-hour, and also you’re strolling away with a meal that tastes like a yard cookout, even should you’re consuming it on the sofa in February. No tortilla required. It’s summer time, reimagined for each season.

Why you must go for hen thighs

Select hen thighs for this burrito bowl as a result of darkish meat stays succulent below excessive warmth, absorbing smoky char with out drying out. Hen thighs are additionally cheaper, prepare dinner sooner, and are extra forgiving to overcooking, leading to a deeper, extra savory taste that stands as much as candy corn, tangy crema, and zesty cilantro-lime rice.

The case for poblano chiles

Poblano peppers ship a delicate, approachable warmth that hardly ever overwhelms. Clocking in round 1,000 to 2,000 Scoville Warmth Items, they’re roughly one-fifth as scorching as a jalapeño. That refined tingle highlights smoky flavors relatively than masking them, making poblanos perfect for layering into dishes like these elote-style burrito bowls. Roasting softens the pores and skin and sweetens the flesh, whereas tempering any lingering chew to a mellow heat all spice tolerances can comfortably get pleasure from.

Notes from the Meals & Wine Check Kitchen 

• The hen thighs can dry-brine for as much as half-hour at room temperature, however any longer, requires refrigeration.
• In the event you can’t discover crema Mexicana, go for bitter cream or whole-milk yogurt.
• This recipe is endlessly variable with the protein, greens, and spices. Attempt shrimp, beef, and even tofu as toppings as an alternative of the hen. 

Recommended pairing 

Attain for a citrusy Mexican-style lager — equivalent to a the broadly accessible Modelo or the Firestone Walker 805 Cerveza. Its smooth malt sweetness and delicate fizz cleanse the chipotle smoke clinging to the corn and hen, whereas refined lime-zest hops echo the cilantro-lime rice. The beer’s crisp end resets your palate between creamy Cotija-crema bites, so each spoonful pops like the primary — refreshing, balanced, and completely burrito bowl–pleasant, from first crisp sip to final spoonful.

This recipe was developed by Paige Grandjean; the textual content was written by Breana Killeen.