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A Balanced Bowl
There’s something so cozy about a nourishing grain bowl during the fall season – I love that they highlight seasonal fruits and veggies, and can be customized to your specific liking! This recipe is what I would call my perfect harvest grain bowl because it has just enough ingredients, a balanced flavor profile, variety of textures, and it’s a nourishing meal that will keep you full and energized.
This bowl starts out on a bed of lettuce, but because the ratios of the other ingredients are so similar it’s not quite a salad. If you did want to make it a salad, however, you could always cut back on the rice and sweet potatoes and add in more arugula.
Customizing Your Bowl to Your Lifestyle
One of the great things about this recipe is that it’s fully customizable to fit your lifestyle!
For Vegetarians: Swap out the rotisserie chicken for grilled tofu or tempeh.
For Vegans: Swap out the rotisserie chicken for tofu or tempeh, the blue cheese for a vegan alternative (or leave it out altogether), and the honey in the dressing for maple syrup!
For Pescatarians: Pescatarians, first of all, I see you! I was a pescatarian for three years and can tell you from experience that the flavors in this bowl pair beautifully with a roasted salmon fillet.
For my anti-arugula friends, swap it out for a crunchy Tuscan kale. This will give your bowl depth, flavor, and nutrients, without the arugula bitterness.
The Vinaigrette
I top this recipe off with the balsamic vinaigrette that I make all the time at home. It comes together fast and I usually make it in an upcycled jelly jar so that I can just add all of the components together and give it a shake with the lid on – then boom, you have a delicious, tangy dressing. If you would prefer a different vinegar then you can swap it out using the same ratio! I do this often with vinaigrettes – if you are interested in learning more about customizing salad dressings and other culinary tricks, I highly recommend Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat. This book gave me the confidence to make my own salad dressings at home from scratch!
How to Make My Easy Harvest Grain Bowl:
Roast Your Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms: Preheat your oven to 350 F. While that’s heating, chop up your sweet potato and mushrooms, then lightly coat them in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for 45 minutes.
Cook Your Grain: Whatever grain you elect for this bowl, I suggest preparing it while your potatoes and mushrooms bake in the oven. Follow the instructions to cook the grain of your choice – for the wild rice blend I used, it took about 45 minutes to cook (the same as the potatoes and mushrooms).
Chop Up Your Ingredients: Chop up your apple and chicken into cubes.
Make Your Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing: Combine your olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, honey, and Italian seasonings in a jar. Whisk or shake until it produces a semi-thick and creamy dressing.
Assemble Your Grain Bowl: Once everything is cooked and cut, lay down your arugula and add all of your ingredients into your bowl. I recommend adding in an even ratio of arugula, rice, sweet potatoes, and chicken, then topping it off with your blue cheese, pumpkin seeds, and vinaigrette.
Ingredients:
- Arugula
- Wild Rice
- Sweet Potatoes
- Honeycrisp Apples
- Rotisserie Chicken
- Blue Cheese
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Honey
- Italian Seasoning
Full Recipe:
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Easy Harvest Grain Bowl with Rotisserie Chicken and Wild Rice
- Yield: 2 bowls 1x
Ingredients
For the Grain Bowls (makes 2):
- 2 c arugula
- 1 c wild rice
- 1 large sweet potato (chopped and roasted)
- 4 mushrooms (chopped and roasted or sauteed)
- 2 c chicken (chopped)
- 1 small honey crisp apple (chopped)
- 2 tbsp blue cheese crumbles
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
For The Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing:
- 1/2 c olive oil
- 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
1. Roast Your Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms: Preheat your oven to 350 F. While that’s heating, chop up your sweet potato and mushrooms, then lightly coat them in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer the to a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for 45 minutes.
2. Cook Your Wild Rice (or grain of choice): Whatever grain you elect for this bowl, I suggest preparing it while your potatoes and mushrooms bake in the oven. Follow the instructions to cook the grain of your choice – for the wild rice blend I used, it took about 45 minutes to cook (the same as the potatoes and mushrooms).
3. Chop Up Your Chicken and Apples: Chop up your apple and chicken into cubes.
4. Make Your Dressing: Combine your olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, honey, and Italian seasonings in a jar. Whisk or shake until it produces a semi-thick and creamy dressing.
5. Assemble Your Grain Bowl: Once everything is cooked and cut, lay down your arugula and add all of your ingredients into your bowl. I recommend adding in an even ratio of arugula, rice, sweet potatoes, and chicken, then topping it off with your blue cheese, pumpkin seeds, and vinaigrette.