Dishes are a thing of the past! Have you ever seen one of those neat-looking tortilla bowls at a restaurant? Not only do they add to how delish your meal is, you don’t have to do as many dishes either! 😉 But technically you’ll eat it off of a plate… so maybe that’s not true. Whatever. Tortilla bowls are cool as hell, okay?! Especially when there's vegan jerk chicken involved.
Now, y’all know I’m obsessed with SOY CURLS. If you’ve never heard of ‘em, I’ve used them in recipes like my sheet pan beef burritos and chicken shawarma bowl. They’re a super versatile ingredient that makes a GREAT mock meat product! They also sop up flavor super well, like the spicy jerk marinade I bought for this recipe. You can use whatever vegan jerk marinade is available where you live, but I used jerk in a jar. And I also think the Grace jerk seasoning is great too!
I’m seriously proud of myself for creating the HOLY TRINITY of foods to pack into this tortilla shell. The different flavors and textures combine perfectly for a literal flavor explosion in your mouth! The rice and beans have a subtle but fresh coconut flavor, the vegan jerk chicken is soooo tangy and mouthwatering, and the final touch is a fresh n’ fruity homemade pineapple salsa!
Well, are you ready for recipe #2 in my vegan chicken series this month?! Keep on scrolling and let’s jump right in!
vegan jerk chicken tortilla bowls
Ingredients
rice and beans
- 1 C long grain parboiled rice
- 1 C vegan chicken flavored stock or water (if using water add 1 teaspoon sea salt)
- 1 C full-fat coconut milk
- 3 tablespoon finely minced garlic (about 3 to 4 large garlic cloves)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, stems removed
- 1 C canned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ C tightly packed green onions, finely chopped + extra for garnishing
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (about half a lime)
vegan jerk chicken
- 2 C soy curls
- 1 tablespoon residual water from soaking soy curls
- ⅓ C store-bought vegan jerk marinade
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (about half a lime)
- 4 x 8-inch soft white flour tortillas, at room temperature
- vegetable cooking spray
pineapple salsa
- 1 C canned organic pineapple, finely diced
- 1 heaping tbsp finely diced jalapeño (about half a large jalapeño, seeds and pith removed)
- ⅓ C finely diced red bell pepper
- ⅓ C finely diced red onion
- 2 tablespoon finely minced garlic (about 2 to 3 large garlic cloves)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (about half a lime)
- ¼ C loosely packed mint, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add rice, vegan chicken stock or water (if using water add 1 teaspoon of salt), coconut milk, minced garlic and thyme. Turn the heat up to medium high heat and cover the pot with a lid. Cook according to package directions or for about 6 to 8 minutes until it begins to boil, then turn the heat down to low. Simmer with the lid on for another 8 to 10 minutes. When the rice is done, stir in kidney beans, green onion and the lime juice and place the lid on the pot to keep it warm.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- To make the vegan jerk chicken, pour water over the soy curls and hydrate them for 10 minutes. Squeeze the moisture from the soy curls and add them to a mixing bowl. Add the reserved 1 tablespoon of water, the jerk marinade, and 1 tablespoon of lime juice and combine with tongs until the soy curls are evenly coated.
- Add the soy curls to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If your oven is big enough, you can bake the tortilla bowls at the same time.
- To make the tortilla bowls, place 4 oven proof bowls upside down on a baking sheet. Lightly spray one side of the tortilla and place the tortilla spray side down over the bowl so the edges are facing down. Follow the natural pleating the tortillas will make and press the folds with your fingers to secure the pleat. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Spray the tops with oil. Bake the tortilla bowls on the lower rack for about 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Let the tortilla bowls cool slightly before removing from the bowls.
- Bake the soy curls on the upper rack for 18 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway, until the soy curls are warm and the marinade is slightly drier.
- To make your pineapple salsa, combine pineapple, jalapeño, red bell pepper, red onion, garlic, lime juice, mint, sea salt and ground black pepper into a bowl.
- To assemble your bowls, spoon rice and beans into the tortilla bowls, top with vegan jerk chicken and pineapple salsa.
Anne-Marie
Hey There - Trying your recipe tonight.
Do you think I can sub seitian for the soy curls?
TIA!
Joshua Howard
The recipe sounds delicious. But I don't have coconut milk. Can it be made with almond one?
Lauren Toyota
its just the coconut is thick and creamy and adds something to the rice, also more traditional. I'd sub something thicker like cashew maybe? And some butter/coconut oil
Ashley
Unsurprisingly, this recipe is amazing! Will make again.
Kat
This recipe was dead easy and as promised, the trifecta of different flavours between the tangy salsa, spicy curls and the coconutty rice is absolutely mind-boggling. I made the salsa first so it could sit and marinate and soften the components since I'm not a fan of raw onion, and it was just the ticket! I cannot wait to make this again - my carnivore husband hoovered these up!
Lauren Toyota
yaaay love to hear it! Thanks for leaving a comment 😀