The Weeknight Special: Fajita Rice Bowls Thu, Sep 18, 2025 | entertaining by Robert Giles Some of my favorite recipes end up being the ones that you can have three or four nights during the week and they are different every time. Our busy lives have made it so that we focus so much on where we need to go and what we need to do that planning dinners can be exhausting. Rice bowls are a great way take some of the pressure off and can even be meal-prepped for easy lunches at work. In this blog, I’ll be discussing a chicken fajita style bowl, but you can always substitute your favorite meats and veggies. A few tips on the preparation. Slicing the chicken horizontally, so that it is thinner, will help keep the cook time down and lower the risk of burning. Onions and bell peppers are usually my go-to veggies in this dish but I have also used mushrooms, zucchini, squash and broccoli; just remember to adjust the cooking times based on how hearty the vegetables are. I also like to let the natural vegetable flavors shine through so salt and pepper are the main seasonings but feel free to spice it up however you like. Wine Pairings As for pairings, there are a few directions you can go with wine. Because of the strong lime flavor in the sour cream topping, I like to go with gamay wines such as a nice Beaujolais or, one of my favorites, Grochau Cellars Convivial. This gamay and pinot noir blend has strong cherry and cranberry notes combined with zesty acidity and a white pepper finish. This helps reign in the lime tartness. Similarly, Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Pinot Noir will be an acidic lighter bodied red that has strong, rich fruit notes of cherry with an earthy tobacco undertone that balances the tartness and accentuates the cumin and chili powder on the chicken. For white wines. I like to play with the citrus flavors that are so prevalent in the dish. Eroica Dry Riesling has a nice acidity with rich peach and citrus fruit notes. The light mineral finish helps to ground the meal and balance the bright lime flavors of the dish. La Cana Albarino is another fantastic pairing. The fresh fruit flavors of lemon, apricot and pear combined with their long finish rounds out each bite to give a complete flavor composition. The salinity of this medium body wine blends together perfectly with the strong lime flavors of the sauce. Each of these wines are great options and can work even if you switch out the protein component of the dish. For example, if you replaced the chicken with a grilled Portobello mushroom the albarino would still make a fantastic compliment to the dish. Want to have a medium rare steak instead of chicken? Stick to the pinot noir for the acidity and tannins. If you would like to learn about other wine options, any of our Celebration Specialists can help you find the perfect pairing. All-in-all this is a fantastic little dish to have in your back pocket. Easy to swap ingredients and quick to throw together make it a great dinner option. Cheers!! Chicken Fajita Rice Bowl INGREDIENTS 1 ½ lbs. chicken breast 1 small yellow onion 1 small bell pepper 2 roma tomatoes 1 jalapeño ¼ cup chopped cilantro juice of ½ a lime ½ Tbsp. chili powder ½ tsp. ground cumin ½ tsp. garlic powder ¼ tsp. paprika ½ tsp. oregano ¼ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. black pepper DIRECTIONS Slice the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno into strips then set to the side. Slice the tomatoes into large chunks and set aside in a separate bowl. Combine chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper into a small bowl and whisk together. Lay chicken flat and carefully split lengthwise into even pieces. Season liberally with spice mix. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat with a thin layer of oil. Cook chicken until done and lightly browned, approximately 2-4 minutes each side. Remove to a cutting board and let rest. In the same skillet, add the onions, bell pepper, and jalapeño. Sauté until beginning to soften. Add the tomatoes, lime juice, and cilantro and continue to cook until the tomatoes have softened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slice the chicken breast into strips. Layer chicken and veggies on top of a rice bowl and top with a spoonful of lime sour cream sauce. For the lime sour cream INGREDIENTS 1 cup sour cream juice and zest of one lime 1 jalapeño ¼ cup of cilantro DIRECTIONS Prepare the lime sour cream sauce by seeding and dicing the jalapeno, chopping the cilantro and combining all ingredients until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Check out all of our Weeknight Special blogs here! By robert@colonialwineshop.com Tags: weeknight special
