Fall Harvest Bowls (with Chicken & Roasted Vegetables)

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Hearty Fall Harvest Bowls are packed full of seasonal vegetables like Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and kale, juicy chicken, nuts, cranberries, fresh Parmesan, and then drizzled with a spiced apple cider vinaigrette. They are healthy, nutritious, and delicious!

Fall Harvest Bowls are one of my favorite things to cook this time of year, because I absolutely love all the autumn seasonal vegetables. These bowls are similar to Sweetgreen’s Harvest Bowls with some differences. A major benefit of them is how customizable they are. You can substitute any vegetables you have on hand. They’re also ideal for meal prep as they store and heat up well for lunch or dinner during busy work weeks. Perfect for football Saturday/Sundays too!

Ingredients

Rice

The base of these Fall Harvest Bowls is rice. I’ve used brown rice pictured here; however, I actually tend to use white rice more often. I love making warm grain bowls in the cooler months.

Chicken

Chicken is protein I add to these bowls. You can omit it if you’d prefer to have a vegetarian dish though.

Apple Cider Marinade

I marinate the chicken in an “apple cider marinade”. This marinade is up of apple cider, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, thyme, basil, parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil. It makes the chicken taste extra delicious!

Brussels Sprouts

 Brussels Sprouts really make these Fall Harvest Bowls. I love them year-round, but they’re especially delicious when they’re in season. And I love when they become crispy from roasting. You can use frozen vegetables but fresh taste much better in my opinion.

Sweet Potato

Sweet potato is another must for this recipe. The sweetness of them really balances out the flavor.

Red Pepper

I love to throw in some red pepper with the other roasted vegetables for extra flavor and nutrients.

Kale

Fresh kale adds some greens to the Fall Harvest Bowls, and it’s also in season. In order to make kale taste much better, I actually boil it in some water for about 30 seconds then blanch (put in a cold-water ice bath) to stop it cooking longer. This was a huge game changer for me when preparing anything with kale at home.

Cranberries

To add additional sweetness to the Harvest Bowls, toss in some dried cranberries. They’re optional but compliment all the other fall flavors.

Pecans

Chopped pecans add even more flavor and healthy fats to the bowls.

Fresh Parmesan

There’s just something about fresh Parmesan and roasted vegetables that go together perfectly. I add fresh grated Parmesan over the bowls at the end (as opposed to just the vegetables).

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Mix together apple cider vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, pepper, and olive oil to create the dressing for these Fall Harvest Bowls. It is so good and compliments the flavors much better than the balsamic Sweetgreen uses, in my opinion.

You can also double the recipe for the vinaigrette and use it for the chicken marinade if you’d rather not prepare a separate marinade recipe.

Variations/Substitutions

The options for these Fall Harvest Bowls are truly endless. Swap rice for quinoa, farro, wild rice, or a base of greens. Instead of chicken you could use shrimp, steak, or salmon. Add or substitute vegetables like broccoli, squash, zucchini, corn, spinach, lettuce, or arugula. Sweetgreen’s bowls include apples, and they would be tasty in this recipe too! Swap Parmesan for feta or goat cheese. Whatever you have on hand or whatever sounds best to you!

Fall Harvest Bowl Instructions

Marinate Chicken and Cook Rice

Making these Harvest Bowls is incredibly simple! Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Whisk all ingredients for the marinade together in a small bowl. Pour over the chicken and set aside to marinate for about 30 minutes (minimum) or longer if you’d like.

Prepare rice in a rice maker (I LOVE mine), or on the stove following package instructions. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Roast Vegetables and Cook Chicken

Meanwhile, add Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, and peppers to a large bowl. Toss with some olive oil, ground thyme, salt, and pepper. Next, place on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes. You can bake the chicken in a dish in the oven at the same time or toss it on the grill until it’s 165 degrees internally/no longer pink.

Prepare Apple Cider Vinaigrette

While your veggies and chicken are cooking prepare the apple cider vinaigrette by adding all ingredients to a food processor, blender, or magic bullet and processing until smooth. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Prepare Kale Salad

Next, quickly boil the kale for about 30 seconds then transfer to a boil with ice water. Lay out to dry on some paper towels or dry in salad spinner. If you don’t have one, I use this one! This process makes the kale taste soo much better! Then toss in a small bowl with cranberries and pecans.

Assemble Harvest Bowls

 

One chicken and vegetables are done, sit aside to cool slightly. Slice the chicken into smaller bite-sized pieces. To assemble, add a layer of rice to the bowls for a base. Then top with roasted vegetables, kale mixture, chicken, fresh Parmesan, and drizzle with the apple cider vinaigrette. It’s that easy!

Serving Instructions

Fall Harvest Bowls are incredibly filling on their own, but they go great with fall cocktails like Hot Spiked Apple Cider Cocktail, Smoked Old Fashioned, Red Wine, Cranberry Bourbon Cocktail, or Red Wine Apple Cider Sangria.

You could also serve them with a side of soup like Cream of Mushroom Soup, Panera's Broccoli Cheddar Soup Copycat, or Roasted Red Pepper Soup for extra cozy vibes.

FAQs

What’s the difference between these Fall Harvest Bowls and Sweetgreen’s Harvest Bowls?

Both have similar ingredients and flavor. Sweetgreen’s bowls have wild rice, almonds, apples, goat cheese, and are topped with a balsamic vinaigrette. These Harvest Bowls use regular rice, pecans, Parmesan, and additional ingredients like Brussels sprouts, peppers, and cranberries. And I prefer the apple cider vinaigrette to compliment the flavors. Both contain kale, sweet potatoes, and roasted chicken. But you can certainly swap any ingredients based on your preference!

Can I make this recipe vegetarian or vegan?

Of course! Omit the chicken altogether or swap with tofu or chickpeas for a vegetarian version. For vegan, also leave out the Parmesan cheese and swap the honey in the dressing with maple syrup or agave.

Are Harvest Bowls healthy?

Absolutely! Of course, health looks different for everyone, but these bowls are packed with vegetables, protein, and grains. You’ll definitely get quite a bit of vitamins and nutrients. That’s one reason I love meal prepping them for busy work weeks. In one bowl you get quite a variety.

Storage and Reheating

To store the Harvest Bowls for leftovers later, I recommend storing the rice, chicken, roasted vegetables, and kale mixture separately in their own airtight containers. Also keep the dressing separate. This keeps the individual components from getting soggy. Heat rice back up in the microwave. You can heat the vegetables and chicken in the microwave or oven. These will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.

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