Less than a month ago, we were swimming in festivity. A month before that, roasted turkeys were adorning tables all over the United States. Now, it can easily feel like the doldrums of winter, but it doesn't have to be that way. Embrace the essence of some of those holiday meals and the charm of a good bowl meal. This one features cooked chicken with a bump of seasoned oil, crispy apple, a charming Brussels sprout salad, roasted sweet potato sprinkled with tangy goat cheese, wild rice (or a blend of rices), dried fruit, and a maple mustard vinaigrette. It's just a quicker, healthier hug of a meal with the whiff of the holidays we might be missing just about now.
If you do not want to make a salad dressing, choose one that's more vinaigrette than creamy. There's enough happening in this bowl that you don't want a dressing covering all that glory! If you do not have Brussels sprouts, you can sub chopped spinach or kale. Be playful with your dried fruit. You can, of course, use raisins but don't stop there. Chopped dried peaches, dates, pears, figs, and more are lovely here. I used a rice mix that included black, red, brown, and wild rice - you can use just wild rice or really any of those. If you don't want to use sweet potatoes, you could roast just about any winter squash and include bite-sized pieces of that in this dish. I used boneless, skinless cooked chicken breasts that I coated in the seasoned oil mixture. If you have chopped or shredded rotisserie chicken, that would also be lovely tossed with the seasoned oil. As I often say, make it yours.
This really is a meal unto itself. In fact, the only thing I add is a nice glass of red wine. Honestly, I usually pour it while preparing dinner and finish it at the table because I'm a super slow sipper! That just means I can raise a glass before and during dinner. And this time of year, we could all use a little more flavors of celebration. Enjoy!
Harvest Chicken Bowl
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅛ cup cider vinegar
- ⅛ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
- Pinch of salt and black pepper
- 2-3 cups cooked, chopped chicken or 2-3 fully cooked boneless chicken pieces
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise
- ½ cup roasted salted pumpkin seed kernels
- 1 ½ cups cooked mixed rice or wild rice
- ¾ cup mixed dried fruit (I used cranberries, cherries, and pears)
- ½ large firm apple, chopped (I used a Honeycrisp apple)
- 1 ½ cups roasted sweet potatoes
- 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup chopped crispy fried onions
Whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, cider vinegar, maple syrup, grainy mustard, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl until fully mixed and slightly thickened; set aside.
Toss the chopped chicken or coat the cooked chicken with the rosemary, thyme, pepper, salt, and sesame oil until evenly coated. If using cooked chicken pieces, slice them evenly after coating them with the herb mixture; set aside.
Toss the thinly sliced Brussels sprouts with 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette and the pumpkin seeds in a bowl. In three large, shallow pasta bowls, arrange about ½ cup of the rice in the bottom of each bowl. Over that, arrange ¾ cup of the chicken, ¼ cup dried fruit, ¼ cup chopped apples, ½ cup each of the sweet potatoes, wild rice salad, and Brussels sprouts salad in in bowl. Sprinkle the sweet potatoes in each bowl with the crumbled goat cheese and the chicken in each bowl with the crispy fried onions. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette evenly over the top of each bowl before serving.
- Yields: 3 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes - assuming the chicken, rice, and sweet potatoes are all prepared in advance