Recipe: Make Willy’s Mexicana Grill’s Goal Bowl
I love the Goal Bowl at Willy’s Mexicana Grill. I think it’s the sauce on the chicken that makes this bowl so much better than anyone else’s. I’d love to have the recipe. Thank you. — Cody Small, Marietta
“We created the Goal Bowl to help our guests meet their dietary goals while eating out,” wrote Sam Bryan, senior director of marketing and sales for Willy’s Mexicana Grill. “It’s a starter bowl that works for most of the popular diets and, of course, the option to customize is always available. Do you want to make it vegetarian or vegan? Order tofu instead. ...The Goal Bowl is not listed on our menu board anymore, but you can still order it and it is also available online at willys.com.”
The restaurant calls this “adobe” chicken, but the flavors will remind you of traditional adobo seasoning with its mix of onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano.
The version of Willy’s Goal Bowl in the photo is packed with a healthy serving of lettuce, chicken, pico de gallo, guacamole and cucumber. Recipes for the chicken and guacamole are provided below. Make your own pico de gallo by combining a mixture of diced tomatoes and onions with chopped cilantro and hot peppers, dressed with lime juice and salt.
Willy’s Mexicana Grill’s Goal Bowl
- Vegetable oil for grill grates
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
- Pinch table salt
- Willy’s Adobe Marinade (see recipe)
- 12 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
- 4 cups peeled 2-inch cucumber sticks
- Willy’s Guacamole (see recipe)
- Pico de gallo (see note)
- Heat a charcoal or gas grill to 350 degrees. Lightly oil grates.
- Arrange thighs on grill and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, turning to achieve char marks on both sides.
- Remove chicken from grill and cut into 1/2-to 3/4-inch pieces. Season with pinch of salt.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine diced chicken and Willy’s Adobe Marinade. Heat 1 minute, stirring frequently so all pieces of chicken are covered with marinade. Remove from heat.
- Divide lettuce between four serving plates. Top each plate with a quarter of the cucumber sticks, Willy’s Guacamole, chicken and pico de gallo.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving, without pico de gallo: 415 calories (percent of calories from fat, 38), 33 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams total sugars, 21 grams fiber, 19 grams total fat (3 grams saturated), 103 milligrams cholesterol, 733 milligrams sodium.Note: For nutritional calculations, a “pinch” is defined as 1/16 teaspoon.
Willy’s Adobe Marinade
This sauce gets its signature flavor from chopped chipotles with adobo sauce.
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons diced onion
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped chipotles with adobo sauce
- 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
- 1 small clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- Pinch oregano
- In a blender, combine water, onion, chipotles, ancho chili powder, garlic, cumin, oil, salt and oregano. Process until smooth. May be made ahead and refrigerated until needed.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 5 calories (percent of calories from fat, 40), trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace total sugars, trace fiber, trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 75 milligrams sodium.Willy’s Guacamole
The choice between serrano and jalapeno peppers will make the guacamole spicier (serrano) or milder (jalapeno). For less heat, remove the seeds. When working with hot peppers, it’s a good idea to use food-safe gloves.
- 1 1/2 cups diced avocado
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 3 tablespoons diced tomato
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon chopped serrano or jalapeno pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt, plus more if needed
- In a medium bowl, roughly mash avocado. Stir in onion, tomato, cilantro, lime juice, chopped serrano or jalapeno pepper and salt. Taste for seasoning adding more lime juice or salt, if needed. Serve immediately.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving, based on 4 (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon): 104 calories (percent of calories from fat, 68), 1 gram protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, 4 grams fiber, 8 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 301 milligrams sodium.From the menu of ... Willy’s Mexicana Grill, 4250 Roswell Road, Marietta; 770-973-1726, willys.com.
Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
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