The past few weeks have been hot and steamy in Tennessee and I have been fixated on preparing the perfect dinner of chicken-rice-veggie-bowls. I've mulled this over in my mind for days and I think that I've come close. It's filling but light, refreshing, but with just enough zing in the sauce, and chocked full of sublime summer vegetables. This is the kind of food that I yearn for; my husband, not so much. He'll take a steak and a cab. I figured that he was the true litmus test for this recipe: first time I served it, I could tell that he tolerated it better than he had imagined. Last evening, like Mikey's brothers in the old Life cereal commercial, I was shocked to see that, "he likes it! He really likes it!"

May I just say from the start that there is a fair amount of prep involved in this dish, but the majority can be done ahead of time. I envision this the perfect summer entertaining menu: artfully arrange all the ingredients and let your guests build their own bowls. My recipe is simply a guide for the ingredients. Feel free to morph the salad into whatever foods you like best. Originally, I used leftover grilled beer butt chicken and leftover brown rice and it was really good. Honestly, I think that shredded rotisserie chicken would be my number one choice for the chicken part; it is so juicy and flavorful! Last night I used grilled, brined, boneless chicken breasts. You can get that recipe here on my blog under Recipes - Main Dishes - Grilled Brined Chicken Breasts. Use whatever method of chicken prep best suits your taste and fits the amount of time that you have. This will make 4 - 6 servings, depending on the size of the appetites. 

Chicken Rice Bowls with Spicy Green Dressing

4-6 boneless chicken breasts, grilled and cubed OR 1 whole rotisserie chicken, deboned and shredded

3 cups prepared rice, brown or white OR Quinoa; prepare according to the package directions

3-4 fresh ears of corn

2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved

4 mini cucumbers or 1 large English cuke

1/2 c. cilantro leaves

1 jalapeño pepper

1 avocado

Spicy Green Dressing

1/2 to 1 jalapeño, seeds and membranes removed, unless you want all that heat

 large clove of garlic

1 c. cilantro leaves

1/2 c. plain greek yogurt

1/3 c. sour cream

1 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. sea salt

few grinds of fresh black pepper

Prepare the chicken; if you are grilling it, husk the ears of corn and let them grill as well over medium heat for about 10 minutes, rotating often. When cool enough, cut the kernels off the cobs with a sharp knife. If you aren't lighting the grill, just cut the kernels off the cobs of raw corn. Heat a large skillet over medium, drizzle in a teaspoon of olive oil, and cook the corn for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season the corn with salt and pepper. Also delicious is raw corn, cut off the cob and served au natural. Cook the rice or quinoa according to the package directions. In separate bowls, assemble the vegetables: halve the tomatoes, dice the cucumbers, pull the cilantro leaves, and thinly slice the jalapeño, removing the seeds and membranes. Save the avocado to slice until serving time so that it doesn't turn brown. I think that black beans would also be a nice addition.

Prepare the spicy dressing: coarsely chop the jalapeño and the garlic and pulse in the food processor to mince. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until combined into a smooth and creamy sauce. Be sure to taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Everything is now ready to assemble. Room temp or warm is fine, but I like the rice and chicken to be hot, so just before serving, I heated each of them separately in a large skillet drizzled with a bit of olive oil, for about 5 minutes. You can also sprinkle a bit of cumin on the chicken pieces as they are heating. Use one round, shallow spaghetti bowl for each helping; place portions of the chicken, rice, corn, tomatoes and cucumbers around in a circle. Tuck a few slices of avocado in one side. Sprinkle the cilantro and the sliced jalapeño on top. I also happened to have some roasted pumpkin seeds in my pantry, so those went on as well for even more texture. Last of all, pour that glorious green dressing over the whole salad. Serve any extra dressing along. Makes 4-6 servings.