Chicken, Veggie & Rice Bowl

I found the recipe for the rice bowl on pinterest. It was called California chicken, veggie, avocado and rice bowl originally posted by Halfbakedharvet.com. The marinade is really good. I will use it in the future for chicken. It does have a bit of kick to it - not much though- just a bit. I drizzled some homemade pablano sauce over the top of my rice bowl - I will post the recipe later.

serves 4

for the marinade:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, or tenders, cubed
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic,minced or grated
1/2 tsp EACH - onion powder, black pepper, smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp roasted ground cumin ( my addition. I found it in the spice aisle and had to try it. yummy)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, or 1 Tbl dried
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, or 1 Tbl dried

Combine marinade ingredients in a large plastic zip lock bag. Shake to mix. Add chicken. Place in refrigerator and marinate while you cook your rice and veggies. ( I didn't use the parsley or basil I had neither dry nor fresh on hand) When ready to grill chicken, thread on skewers and grill over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, gently flipping a few times until chicken is cooked through and has light char marks.

for the rice:
1 1/2 cup jasmine or basmati rice
3 cups water

Add the water to a medium size pot. Bring to a low boil ( I added 1 tsp of chicken base) and then add the rice. Stir to combine and then place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible Allow the rice to cook ten minutes on low and then turn the heat completely off and let the rice sit on the stove, covered, for another 20 minutes ( do NOT peek - you heard me! ) After 20 minutes remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork.

Grill any veggies you want. Grilled zucchini, red bell pepper, onions.

To assemble bowls: divide rice into 4 bowls, divide chicken and any grilled vegetables. Also can use fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh avocado, feta or blue cheese. Drizzle salsa or poblano sauce or cheddar cheese if you like.