Dr. Gourmet's Food Reviews

Green Chile Food Company Poblano Steak Burrito Bowl

Southwestern Style Chicken Burrito Bowl and Poblano Steak Burrito Bowl

I found today's offerings - from a company utterly new to me - in a tiny grocery store in my Washington, DC neighborhood. "Green Chile Food Company"? According to their website their foundational product is burritos, and while there weren't any burritos per se available, I snapped up both of the available burrito bowls to taste.

Both varieties are labeled 'mild' (and are gluten-free), so we chose the first item to taste more or less at random: the Southwestern Style Chicken Burrito Bowl. The numbers are pretty good, at 360 calories, 530 milligrams of sodium, and 4 grams of fiber.

We've seen a lot of "burrito bowls" from various companies, and this one is by far one of the best we've ever had. The rice (as always, I'd prefer that it were brown rice) is well cooked, not gummy, and flavored with lime and cilantro. The chicken is soft, tender, and savory - and we wish there were a little more of it. The black beans add umami savor, the corn is sweet and crunchy, and the "poblano verde" salsa has a bright, tangy tomatillo flavor. The whole might be a trifle salty, but not egregiously so. Further, there are virtually no unrecognizable ingredients on the ingredient list

I really have nothing but good things to say about this. As frozen food goes, it's fantastic, and at about $4.50 each, this is far better tasting and better for you (by hundreds of calories) than Chipotle®.

The Poblano Steak Burrito Bowl has similar numbers to the Southwestern Style Chicken Burrito Bowl: this has 370 calories but the same amount of sodium and fiber.

It seems like it ought to have the same rice, black beans, roasted red bell peppers, corn, and tomatillo salsa, so you'd be justified in assuming that this would taste about the same as the chicken version - but with steak. Not so.

While the steak itself is very good - juicy and tender with a deep, beefy flavor - the whole of this dish is far more tart than the chicken. It's as if they accidentally threw in an extra teaspoon of lime juice, which means the umami of the steak just doesn't come through quite as well as that of the chicken. There's just less overall body to the flavor.

Don't get me wrong: while this is not quite as good as the Southwestern Style Chicken Bowl, I still give this two thumbs way up. Whether you're in the mood for chicken or steak, you're in for a tasty, satisfying dish no matter which you choose. We'll be looking for more products from the Green Chile Food Company for sure.

Review posted: January 17, 2020