A Taco Bell Power Bowl is the perfect meal prep idea and is a healthier Taco Bell copycat recipe you can easily make at home in about 30 minutes!
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Ingredients in a Taco Bell Power Bowl
We call for plenty of fresh, nutritious and delicious ingredients to make this salad recipe. Here is what you’ll need:
- Romaine lettuce – Because of its hearty crunch, romaine is a great lettuce to use in salads.
- Pico de gallo – store bought or homemade pico will work fine. I typically go with store bought to cut down on time, or you can use salsa instead.
- Cooked black beans – I used canned beans, but if you want to, you can soak and cook dry black beans instead.
- Shredded cheese – Cheddar cheese is my cheese of choice. However, feel free to use any variety you like.
- Light sour cream – I use light sour cream because that’s the variety that Taco Bell uses in their Power Bowl recipe and this helps keep calories down.
How to make Taco Bell Power Bowls
There are just 4 steps that go into the making of a Taco Bell Power Bowl.
- Season, cook and slice the chicken cutlets. Rub the chicken with olive oil, then sprinkle the seasoning over each piece of chicken.
- Make the quick guacamole. Doing this is as simple as mashing an avocado, then stirring in some diced onion and seasonings. You can also use store bought guac to cut down on prep time.
- Cook the rice. I like to use my rice cooker to cook the rice because it makes the process hands off, but feel free to cook yours in a pot on a stove top. Or, if you own an electric pressure cooker, you can make Instant Pot rice.
- Assemble the Power Bowls. Using a meal prep container or a dinner plate, simply layer the ingredients to create your meal. Start by spreading a layer of rice evenly onto the bottom of the plate or container. Then arrange the remaining ingredients on top of the rice.
Is the Taco Bell Power Bowl healthy?
In comparison to the other Taco Bell menu items, a Power Bowl is relatively healthy. Especially if you select the grilled chicken as your protein of choice.
No matter which meat option you choose, all of the bowls include a lot of fresh, healthy ingredients. A Power Bowl is full of good-for-you fats, lean protein and plenty of fiber to keep you feeling full.
How many calories are in a Taco Bell Power Bowl?
The total calories in a Taco Bell Power Bowl depends entirely on which ingredients you choose to make it with.
If you order a Taco Bell Power Bowl from the restaurant, the calorie count is between 450 and 490 calories. My homemade Taco Bell Power Bowls are 450 calories too, but you get more healthy, homemade ingredients and less sodium overall.
A fire grilled chicken bowl has the fewest calories, while one made with seasoned ground beef is has the most calories.
How much protein is in a Taco Bell Power Bowl?
According to the nutritional information on the Taco Bell website, the amount of protein in a Power Bowl varies depending on the meat you choose.
- Fire grilled chicken bowls have 26 grams of protein
- Shredded chicken bowls have 22 grams of protein
- Seasoned ground beef bowls have 19 grams of protein
- Steak Power Bowls have 25 grams of protein
My bowls have 24g of protein so you are getting more wholesome ingredients while still retaining a high protein count.
Ingredient substitutions
It’s very easy to substitute any of the Power Bowl ingredients. For example, if you don’t care for chicken, you can use any other cooked protein of your choice. Steak, ground beef, and even shrimp would be delicious in a Taco Bell Power Bowl!
Feel free to swap out any of the other ingredients, too. Consider using some of these ingredients to customize your Power Bowl:
- Diced tomatoes
- Baby spinach
- Bell peppers
- Cooked lentils
- Any variety of cooked beans, including refried beans
Storing and reheating
If you have any leftovers, or you plan to make the Taco Bell Power Bowls ahead of time, you will need to refrigerate them. Leftovers will keep well for about four to five days.
Keep in mind that when you first serve the meal, some of the ingredients, like the chicken, are warm. Also, if you combine the warm ingredients with the cool ones, it will be impossible to reheat the meal without the fresh produce getting hot as well. The good news is, as long as the chicken is properly cooked, it’s perfectly safe to eat cold.
To prevent the lettuce from turning brown from oxidation, be sure to store the ingredients in an airtight container.
Can you freeze any part of these bowls?
Yes, absolutely! Fresh produce, such as lettuce and tomatoes don’t freeze well, but many of the ingredients freeze beautifully! You can prepare any of these items ahead, then freeze them for later use:
- Cooked chicken cutlets
- Cooked rice
- Black beans
- Chopped onion
- Guacamole
More restaurant copycat recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning these power bowls into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
Taco Bell Power Bowl
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 chicken cutlets
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- Salt & pepper, to taste
Quick guacamole
- 1 avocado
- 1 tbsp finely chopped red onion (and/or 1 clove garlic, minced)
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 pinch salt
Toppings
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup pico de gallo storebought or homemade
- 1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
- 2 tbsp shredded cheese
- 2 tbsp sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F. Rub chicken cutlets with olive oil, chili powder and cumin then season with salt and pepper. Bake for 12-15 minutes until fully cooked (will depend on thickness of cutlets). Once chicken is fully cooked, remove from oven and slice.
- Meanwhile, mash avocado and make the quick guacamole, then cook rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop and prepare all the toppings.
- Layer rice in the bottom of meal prep bowls, then divide all other ingredients evenly. Leftovers will keep in the fridge 4-5 days.
Video
Nutrition
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Cam says
Delicious!! I did use spanish rice instead of white rice. Will definately make again
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed, Cam 🙂
Ksty says
This looks delish and I’m going to make tonight. I’m OCD, so bare with me. I noticed the recipe calls for white rice, but in the directions you say put brown rice in the bowl. Also, there’s no mention of tomatoes in the recipe, but clearly the bowl has tomatoes in it. I’m not trying to criticize, just pointing this out in case you wanted to fix it. I edited documents for about 30 years. Lol
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Katy – sorry for the brown rice typo and thanks for the heads’ up! Just fixed it 🙂 Pico de gallo is listed in the recipe card but you can use plain tomatoes if you’d like.
Katy says
Thank you Taylor, in my ignorance I didn’t realize that was the Pico de Galo. 😂
Taylor Stinson says
Totally fine haha. I know it can be easily overlooked!
Lorin says
Is it a cup of rice per bowl or a cup total?
Taylor Stinson says
1 cup of rice total 🙂
Jaime says
Where did you find the glass containers?
Taylor Stinson says
They are linked to in the blog post just above the recipe!
MrsS says
What about the avocado ranch sauce that they use? It seems like it has a little bit of a kick to it and it really adds a lot of flavor
Brittany says
Do you usually reheat?
Taylor Stinson says
I eat them cold but you can reheat the chicken!