Grilled Adobo Chicken & Sweet Potato Bowls with Jicama Guacamole

I have a bone to pick with boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

I mean, there aren't any actual bones in there to pick, but I'm trying to say I have a problem with them. Ninety percent of the time I eat boneless, skinless chicken breasts, they're no good! Dry, flavorless, and boring. One hundred percent of the time, I would much prefer chicken thighs.  

(Side note: Back when I was a kid and McDonald's still used dark meat in some of their chicken nuggets, I would refuse to eat the white meat ones. I would actually take a bite out of each nugget to check and only eat the ones that passed muster, which was usually 2-3 per order. I was a super fun kid. Thanks, Mom, for putting up with me!)

Anyway, chicken thighs are one of my go-tos (and luckily, McDonald's chicken nuggets no longer are). I love bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for pan-searing and roasting or braising. I am even willing to go to the trouble of deboning thighs myself to make Nom Nom Paleo's amazing cracklin' chicken. And I love boneless, skinless chicken thighs for grilling and making curries. They're moister and more flavorful than breasts, and won't dry out even if you overcook them slightly. I'm super paranoid about making sure my poultry is fully cooked, so I like that extra flexibility.

Grilled chicken thighs aren't quite as tidy-looking as grilled chicken breasts, but with a big bowl of goodness like this, no one will notice. They'll be too busy checking out the awesome grill marks on those two colors of sweet potatoes.

I used my indoor grill for this recipe because it's not QUITE warm enough for outdoor grilling in Boston, but I can't wait to try this outside as soon as possible.

This bowl is for Cinco de mayo, or for anytime you want a healthy, Mexican-inspired bowl of dinner with lots of different colors and textures. The chicken thighs are rubbed with homemade Adobo seasoning and grilled. The guacamole is taken up a notch by the addition of crunchy jicama. Grilled sweet potatoes, gently dressed baby greens, and white rice or cauli rice round out the meal.

This is also a flexible dinner. Make just the chicken and add it to your favorite salad. Omit the chicken for a veggie meal. Make only the jicama guacamole and go crazy dipping some carrot sticks. You could even sub shrimp for the chicken thighs! (Just don't ask me if you can just substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts.)

Grilled Adobo Chicken & Sweet Potato Bowls with Jicama Guacamole
Yield: 2 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes, plus up to 4 hours of optional marinating time
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

For the marinade and grilled chicken:

Zest of one lime (about 1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 teaspoon fresh minced oregano)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon bittersweet smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of ground turmeric
Freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/3 pounds)

For the bowls:

2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds (I use one white and one orange)
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
2 large handfuls of baby greens
2 cups cooked white rice (see below for my method) or cauliflower rice

For the jicama guacamole:

1 large, ripe Haas avocado
2 tablespoons minced shallot or red onion
Juice of half a lime, or to taste
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch or two of ground cumin
1/3 cup diced jicama*
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

*Try making some pico de gallo de frutas with the rest of your jicama! It's also great cut into matchsticks and added to salads for extra crunch.

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Pat the chicken thighs dry and add them to the marinade, tossing to coat the pieces evenly. Marinate at room temperature while you grill the sweet potatoes or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Preheat an indoor or outdoor grill (I used a George Foreman). Drizzle a little olive oil on the sweet potatoes, season generously with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Place the sweet potato slices on the grill and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, flipping once if using an outdoor grill (about 8 minutes on a George Foreman). Transfer the sweet potato slices to a plate.

Add the chicken to the grill and cook, flipping once if using an outdoor grill, until cooked through (6-8 minutes on an indoor grill). Transfer to a cutting board and cover loosely with foil.

To make the jicama guacamole, mash the avocado, shallot, lime juice, salt pepper, and cumin with a fork in a small bowl. Stir in the diced jicama and chopped cilantro. Taste and add more lime, salt, and/or pepper if desired.

Chop the sweet potatoes into bite-size cubes, and slice the chicken into strips.

To assemble the bowls, add a handful of greens to each one. Season with a little olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat. Add some rice to each bowl. Top with grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, and jicama guacamole. Serve with a lime wedge.

My Favorite Rice
Yield: 2 servings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup homemade or low sodium chicken stock (or water)
Generous pinch of sea salt
1 tablespoon butter or ghee
1 cup white rice

Put the chicken stock and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the butter and the rice and stir. Cover and reduce the heat so the mixture simmers. Cook for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Let the rice sit with the lid on for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.