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Pollo Asado Chicken Thigh Bowl

Total
1 hr
Cost
Difficulty

Citrus-achiote thighs seared hard for char, over brown rice with black beans, mango habanero salsa, cotija, and blended cottage cheese. Two builds: skinless and skin-on.

670cals per serving

4servings

40%Carbs67g
27%Fat20g
33%Protein56g
  • batch friendly
  • bowl
  • chicken
  • high protein
  • rice
  • stovetop
Pollo Asado Chicken Thigh Bowl

Nutrition

CaloriesCarbsFatProteinRatio C/F/P
Skinless~67067g20g56g40 / 27 / 33
Skin-on~74067g27g57g36 / 33 / 31
Whole batch (×4)~2,680268g80g224g-
Traditional~86574g42g49g34 / 43 / 23

Ingredients

4servings

Chicken (pick one)

  • Skinless: 1.5 lb boneless skinless thighs (or 1.5 lb precooked Costco pollo asado, 3/4 of a bag, for an easy option that skips the marinade and oil and runs within ~5 cal of skinless)

  • Skin-on: 1.5 lb boneless skin-on thighs

Marinade (homemade builds only)

  • 3 tbsp orange juice

  • 2 tbsp lime juice

  • 6 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 tbsp achiote paste (or 1 tbsp sweet paprika + 1/4 tsp turmeric)

  • 1 tbsp adobo sauce from a can of chipotles (optional, adds smoky heat)

  • 2 tsp cumin

  • 2 tsp oregano

  • 1 tsp chili powder

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

  • 1 tsp avocado oil (skinless only)

Bowl

  • 1 cup dry brown rice (~3 cups cooked, 3/4 cup per bowl), tossed with lime zest and chopped cilantro

  • 1 can (15oz) black beans, drained, plus cumin and garlic powder

  • 4 oz cotija, crumbled (1 oz, about 1/4 cup, per bowl)

  • 3/4 cup 2% cottage cheese, blended smooth (3 tbsp per bowl). Add 1 tbsp milk only if the blender won't catch

  • Lime wedges

Mango habanero salsa (~2.5 cups, 1/2 cup per bowl)

  • 1.5 cups firm ripe mango, small dice

  • 1/2 red onion, finely diced

  • 1/2 to 1 habanero, seeds and ribs removed, minced very fine

  • 1/2 cup seeded cucumber, diced

  • Juice of 1.5 limes

  • Handful cilantro

  • Salt to taste, only after the cotija is on

Steps

Prep (~15 min)

  1. Whisk the marinade and coat the thighs. Refrigerate 2 to 4 hr, never past 6. The citrus turns the texture mushy.

  2. Toss the salsa together, starting with half the habanero. Let it sit at least 15 min, then taste. Wear gloves.

  3. Blend the cottage cheese until silky. Refrigerate.

  4. Crumble the cotija fine so it spreads across the whole bowl.

Cook (~45 min)

  1. Start the brown rice first.

  2. Cook the chicken for your build:

    Skinless (~20 min)

    • Pull the thighs from the marinade and let the excess drip off. Sear in a ripping hot cast iron pan, 5 to 6 min per side, in batches, until charred and 175°F.
    • Rest 5 min, then chop.
    • Costco option (~8 min): sear the precooked chicken in a very hot dry cast iron pan, 2 to 3 min per side, until the edges char. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

    Skin-on (~30 min)

    • Pat the skin completely dry after marinating. Place skin-side down in a cold-to-medium dry pan and render 6 to 8 min until deep golden.
    • Pour off all but about 1 tsp of fat. Flip and cook 6 to 8 min more until 175°F, or finish in a 400°F oven.
    • Rest 5 min, then slice and plate skin-side up.

  3. Warm the black beans with the cumin and garlic powder.

  4. Build each bowl: 3/4 cup rice, a quarter of the beans, 6 oz chicken, 1/2 cup salsa, 1 oz cotija, and 3 tbsp blended cottage cheese.

Notes

Make or break

  • Get the pan ripping hot. Char is what makes it asado, and a crowded pan steams the thighs instead

  • Marinate 2 to 4 hours, not overnight. Past 6 hr the acid breaks the meat down

  • Let the excess marinade drip off before searing. Wet chicken steams and won't char

  • Skin-on: dry the skin, render it first, pour off the fat. The skin-on numbers assume you do. Leave it all in and add about 3g fat per bowl

  • Cotija goes on cold, last, and crumbled fine. It doesn't melt, so fine crumbles spread the salt and cut the habanero heat

  • Blend the cottage cheese fully. Any grain shows when it's served cold

  • Hold the salt until the end. Cotija, beans, and the chicken seasoning already carry plenty

  • Let the salsa sit. The onion mellows and the habanero heat spreads evenly

Fixes

  • No char: the pan wasn't hot enough or the chicken was wet. Heat longer and pat off more marinade

  • Too salty: squeeze more lime and add extra salsa. Next time drop the cotija to 3/4 oz or use rinsed beans, which saves about 100mg

  • Chicken mushy: it marinated too long. Stay inside 2 to 4 hr

  • Flat flavor: the marinade is lighter on acid, so finish with a squeeze of lime from the wedges

  • Salsa too hot: add more mango and lime, and spoon extra cottage cheese over the bowl

  • Chicken dry: pull at 175°F and rest before cutting

Nutrition numbers are estimates tracked in MyFitnessPal. Your brands and portions will shift them a little.