These Honey Chipotle Chicken bowls layer sweet and smoky shredded chicken over caramelized roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, and a two-ingredient chipotle cream. They make four make-ahead lunches from one batch of chicken.
With a nutrition background and years of meal prep recipe development, I like to build bowls around a protein, a starch, and something with fiber. Then I will usually add a sauce so it doesn’t taste like leftovers by Wednesday.
These Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls hit all four: shredded chicken, a half roasted sweet potato, black beans, and a chipotle crema. With this recipe you’ll get four servings, it reheats well, and the lime wedge at the end wakes everything back up.
Why You’ll Make These Bowls On Repeat
- One Protein, Multiple Meals – A single batch of Honey Chipotle Chicken covers these four bowls, and any extra goes straight into tacos, quesadillas, or a rice bowl later in the week.
- Four lunches, mostly hands-off – The sweet potatoes roast for 30 minutes while you shred chicken and rinse beans. The crema is two ingredients stirred into a bowl.
- Nothing gets wasted – The adobo sauce left in the chipotle can become the crema, so that half used can doesn’t die in the back of the fridge.
Key Ingredients
- Honey Chipotle Chicken– Sweet, smoky, and a little spicy, this is where the bulk of the flavor comes from.
- Sweet Potatoes– an inexpensive base with natural sweetness that plays off the smoky chipotle flavor.
- Black Beans– A budget-friendly way to add fiber and bulk.
- Sour Cream and Adobo Sauce: you’ll combine these ingredients to create a chipotle crema.
- Limes: A squeeze of lime keeps a reheated bowl from tasting flat.
How to Make Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls
- Heat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper, so the sugars from the sweet potato don’t stick to the pan.
- Now, slice the sweet potato lengthwise and drizzle the cut side with oil. Then season with salt and pepper.
- Next, place the sweet potato cut side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Rub the skin side of the potatoes with oil so it is completely covered. Season with salt and pepper.
- Now, roast for 30 minutes for a medium size potato. The potatoes are ready when they are fork tender and caramelized.
- To make the Chipotle Crema, combine the sour cream and adobo sauce. Taste and adjust the spices as needed.
- To make the bowls, add a roasted sweet potato halve, ¼ of the black beans, ¾ cups cooked honey chipotle chicken, 2 tablespoons of the chipotle crema, and lime wedges.
Storage and Reheating
Storage– You can build your 4 bowls prior to storing in the fridge. Allow the ingredients to cool completely. Then store the sweet potato, beans, and shredded chicken together in an airtight container. You will store the chipotle crema in a small separate container or sauce cup. The lime wedges will go in a small airtight bag or container so they don’t dry out. You can store these bowls in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Reheating– Microwave the bowl ingredients (excluding the crema) in 30-second increments until heated to your desired level. Stir ingredients after 2 cycles. Once reheated, add the crema and squeeze the lime over the bowl.
Variations and Add-Ins
- Make it a rice or grain bowl. Swap the sweet potato for cilantro lime rice, quinoa, or farro.
- Bulk it up with greens. A handful of chopped romaine or baby spinach at the bottom turns it into a warm salad bowl.
- Add some crunch. Pickled red onion, sliced radish, corn, or crushed tortilla chips added right before eating.
- Up the protein. Swap the sour cream for plain greek yogurt to get a protein boost.
- Lower the carbs. If you’d like to lower the carb and calorie count swap the sweet potato for butternut squash.
Recipe FAQ
The heat comes from the chipotle in the chicken and the 2 teaspoons of adobo sauce in the crema. The bowls have a nice “kick” but I would say the heat level is moderate.
They’re better warm, since the sweet potato firms up in the fridge. If you’re packing lunch with no microwave access, swap the roasted sweet potato for rice or greens.
Honey Chipotle Chicken Bowls
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Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups cooked shredded Honey Chipotle Chicken
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can of chipotle or hot sauce
- Lime wedges
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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Slice the sweet potato lengthwise and drizzle the cut side with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Place the sweet potato cut side down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Rub the skin side of the potatoes with oil so it is completely covered. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
-
Roast 30 minutes for a medium size potato. Potatoes are ready when they are fork tender and caramelized.
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To make the Chipotle Crema combine the sour cream and adobo sauce (or hot sauce) taste and adjust the spices as needed.
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To make the bowls add 1 half roasted sweet potato, with ¼ of the black beans, ¾ cups cooked honey chipotle chicken, 2 tablespoons of the chipotle crema, and lime wedges.
Video
Nutrition
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