These blackened chicken brown rice bowls are filled with seared chicken breast, hearty brown rice, freshly sauteed onion, bell peppers, and carrots.
This bowl-style meal is the perfect weeknight dinner, and you can have the leftovers for lunch the next day! However, before we get to the blackened chicken rice bowl recipe, let’s explore the cooking process and the ingredients.
Where Did Blackening Originate?
Blackening is a cooking method associated with Cajun cuisine used to cook fish and other ingredients such as chicken. Blackening was made famous by chef Paul Prudhomme.
The meat was dredged in melted butter and then coated with a combination of herbs and spices such as thyme, chili pepper, oregano, peppercorns, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Next, the meat was seared in a scorching hot skillet until it developed a distinctive brown-black crust. This signature brown-black crust is the outcome of the browned milk solids from the butter and charred spices.
Brown Rice Vs White Rice
Two significant factors set brown rice apart from white rice: it’s a whole grain and healthier! Brown rice features the entire grain, including the coarse bran, the wholesome germ, and the carb-dense endosperm.
On the other hand, the hull, germ, and bran are removed from white rice, which strips away most of its nutrients. Brown rice has a subtle nutty flavor, with a chewier texture than white rice.
Nevertheless, brown rice spoils faster than white rice. When it is appropriately stored, dry white rice has a shelf life of 2 years, while brown rice has a lifespan of 6 months. In addition to this, brown rice also takes longer to cook than white rice.
Health Benefits Of Brown Rice
Though it is a carb, brown rice has several health benefits. Brown rice is a whole grain that’s considered a low glycemic food which means substituting brown rice for white rice may decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Brown rice is an excellent source of minerals and vitamin B1, which prevents beriberi. Brown rice is rich in fat which is used as an energy source for the body. Brown rice contains phytic acid, which has antioxidant and anti-cancer properties and reduces serum cholesterol, preventing cardiovascular diseases.
Additionally, brown rice is rich in dietary fiber. Fiber keeps you satiated, acts as a mild laxative, and is associated with preventing heart disease and gastrointestinal diseases.
Keto Blackened Chicken Rice Bowl
Just because you subscribe to a keto lifestyle does not mean you have to miss out on this delicious meal. You can customize this rice bowl so that it is keto-friendly.
This blackened chicken rice bowl features brown rice, and brown rice is a whole grain. Therefore, it is not keto. However, you can substitute brown rice with cauliflower rice.
Cauliflower is a low-carb food which makes it the ideal keto rice substitute. A cup of brown rice had approximately 45 grams of carbs, and in contrast, one cup of cauliflower rice contains about 3 grams of carbohydrates.
Even though carrots can be consumed on the keto diet, they should not be consumed in large portions as the carbs can quickly add up. If you do not want to consume carrots, you can substitute celery or broccoli in place of them.
More Dinner Ideas:
Air Fryer Sour Cream And Onion Chicken
Air Fryer Lemon Tuna Patties
Roasted Vegetable Soup
Blackened Chicken Brown Rice Bowl
4
servings15
minutes1
hour600
kcal1
hour15
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- For the blackened chicken:
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
3 tablespoons olive oil
- For the brown rice:
1 cup uncooked brown rice, rinsed
2 cups water
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove
- For the sautéed vegetables:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium carrot, cut into strips
1 onion, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
1 bell pepper, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 sprigs thyme
1/4 cup water
Directions
- To make the brown rice, bring the water to a boil; add the brown rice, olive oil, salt, and garlic clove.
- Cover the brown rice, then decrease the heat to medium-low, and cook it for 45 minutes.
- Remove the brown rice from the heat and allow it to sit for 10 minutes covered.
- Next, use a fork to remove the garlic clove and fluff the cooked brown rice.
- For the blackened chicken, whisk the smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, oregano, and salt in a small bowl.
- Place the chicken in a bowl, add two tablespoons of olive oil and toss to combine. Add the blackening seasoning and toss to combine.
- Place one tablespoon of olive oil into a nonstick skillet and set it over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes until it’s smoking.
- Add the chicken and cook it for 5 minutes until it’s blackened; turn the chicken over and cook it for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet, place it on a plate, loosely cover it with foil and allow the blackened chicken to rest for ten minutes.
- To make the sautéed vegetables, add the olive oil to the skillet and set it over medium-high heat.
- Add the sliced onions, carrots, and bell peppers to the skillet and cook them for 3 minutes until the onions start to soften.
- Add the garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, parsley, and water and stir to combine.
- Cover the vegetables and cook them for 5 minutes until tender.
- To assemble the blackened chicken bowls, divide the brown rice between four bowls, then slice the chicken breasts into slices.
- Arrange the blackened chicken slices and sautéed vegetables around the brown rice.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- NUTRITION INFO Calories: 600 | Carbohydrates: 46.3g |Protein: 52.8g | Fat: 22.3g | Saturated Fat: 2.5g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 1008mg | Potassium: 1175mg | Sugar: 4.8g | Vitamin D: 0mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 3mg
- NUTRITIONAL INFO DISCLAIMER: The nutritional values presented above are only estimates. I don’t have a medical background, nor am I a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist. Therefore, nutritional information shown on foodandmoodcreations.com should only be used as a general guideline.
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