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★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
Try this homemade version of the popular Mexican-inspired dish served at restaurants like Chipotle. It's very simple to make these at home saving you the expense of eating out.
Healthy Meal-Prep Lunch or Dinner
A deliciously healthy and customizable lunch or dinner you can easily make at home, these chipotle chicken burrito bowls are protein-packed with perfectly seasoned chicken, cilantro-lime rice, black beans, corn, lettuce, fresh tomatoes, cheese, and creamy avocado.
You'll love how easy these burrito bowls are to make at home.
Marinated Chicken Brings the Flavor
The key is amazing chicken. To achieve awesome flavor, you'll marinate filleted chicken breasts in a smoky chipotle chili and onion blend before cooking.
The result is warm, juicy, flavor-infused strips of chicken layered into your bowl of fresh veggies and cilantro-lime rice.
The chicken offers a nice kick from the cayenne pepper, with smokiness and earthiness from cumin and paprika. Lime juice and adobo sauce add a refreshing tang and a hint of sweetness to create an exciting yet perfectly balanced seasoning.
Layered just like your favorite restaurant burrito bowl.
Fluffy cilantro-lime rice creates a fluffy and tasty base, while black beans add a hit of protein and fiber. Corn adds pops of sweetness, and crisp romaine lettuce keeps things cool and refreshing. Creamy avocado brings healthy fats and a luxurious texture.
Customize it!
This bowl, just like at a restaurant, is totally customizable. You can incorporate your favorite salsas, guacamole, seasoned beans, and any greens to your salad. Or try adding fresh chipotle peppers and/or jalapeños to the marinade for more intense flavor and heat.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
Here's a look at what you'll need to make these homemade chipotle chicken burrito bowls. Again, feel free to customize these as much as you want.
- Chicken breasts: These are filleted in half to create thinner cutlets that cook quickly. To save time, you can start with buying chicken cutlets. You'll also want to be sure to tenderize the chicken by pounding it. The goal is to both tenderize it as well as to create an even thickness so the chicken cooks perfectly.
- Seasonings: The chicken marinade is created using a blend of olive oil with chipotle chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic, salt, lime juice, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and red onion. You can include fresh chipotle peppers and choose if you want to use fresh garlic or garlic paste.
- For the salad bowl: Layer in cooked cilantro-lime rice, seasoned black beans, corn or corn salsa, tomatoes or pico de gallo, lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream, and/or sliced avocados. Chipotle tabasco sauce can be added for extra kick!
- Cheese: Choose your favorite cheese or blend of cheese. The restaurant Chipotle Mexican Grill uses a blend of shredded white cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
Here's a look at how to marinate and cook the chicken, then assemble the fresh burrito bowls.
- Use a food processor to combine marinade ingredients.
- Allow chicken to marinate in the fridge.
- Pan-sear and cook chicken, then slice.
- Add cilantro, lime juice, and oil to cooked rice.
- Wash and chop veggies as needed.
- Assemble bowls and enjoy!
★ Tips & FAQs ★
Burrito bowls are a healthy meal, especially with fresh ingredients. Chicken gives lean protein, and rice, beans, and veggies add fiber and nutrients. Choose toppings like salsa and guacamole instead of sour cream and cheese to make it even healthier—or just use less of the richer toppings.
I find these burrito bowls to be kid friendly because they are so customizable. Kids like being able to choose what to put into their bowl. If your kids don't like spicy chicken, you can eliminate cayenne pepper from the marinade or, make a separate batch of basic chicken for the kids. I find these burrito bowls to be a popular family dinner!
Typically it's rice and beans with peppers and onions optional. Then your meat — chicken, steak or carnitas, (vegetarian can opt for tofu), then salsas, corn, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole are all optional toppings.
One of the advantages of making chipotle chicken burrito bowls at home is the ability to completely customize them to your preferences down to the seasoning of the chicken.
You can adjust the bowl ingredients, spice levels, and toppings according to your taste preferences and dietary restrictions.
If you have leftovers, store them separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Keep the grilled chicken and/or rice in a separate container if you want to be able to reheat it. However, I find it's good and easy to just enjoy everything cold.
When ready to eat, simply reheat the chicken and rice if you want to, or enjoy everything chilled.
Yes. Cook and portion out the chicken, rice and beans in advance. Store toppings separately. Heat chicken, rice and beans then add toppings when you're ready to eat. I like to use these glass meal prep bowls and and these collapsable containers for the toppings.
★ More Delicious Chicken Recipes ★
Want more healthy dinner ideas?
Browse all my healthy-choice recipes and be sure to Pin your favorites for later.
This Chipotle Chicken Bowl recipe was featured on South Your Mouth!
Chipotle Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 4 tablespoon avocado oil divided
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½ lime)
- 1 tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- ½ red onion
- 1.5 lbs chicken breasts (about 2 breasts or 4 cutlets)
Cilantro-lime Rice
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 1 lime juiced and zested
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- fine grain sea salt to taste
Burrito Bowl
- 8 oz seasoned black beans drained and warmed if desired
- 1 cup corn off the cob or corn salsa
- 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 4 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 avocado peeled, seeded, and sliced
- 1 cup shredded jack and white cheddar blend cheese
- 2 roma tomatoes or fresh salsa
- 4 dashes chipotle tabasco sauce optional
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Instructions
- Make the marinade. Use a food processor to blend together the marinade ingredients using 2 tablespoon of the oil.
- Prepare and marinate chicken. Fillet the chicken breasts in half and pound flat using the flat side of a meat tenderizer, as needed, to an even thickness. Add marinade and chicken to a large ziplock bag or bowl covered with plastic. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
- Cook chicken. Heat remaining 2 tablespoon of oil in a skillet set to medium-high. When oil is hot, add chicken (coated in marinade) and cook each side for about 5 minutes or just until the internal temp reaches 165ºF. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature.When done, remove from pan and cover with foil to let rest. Once rested, slice into strips or bite-sized pieces.
- Prepare rice. Start with cooked rice and add lime juice and zest, cilantro, oil, and salt.
- Assemble bowls. Add ingredients to a large bowl in sections or layers. Add rice, beans, chicken, corn, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and avocado as desired. Garnish with a sprinkle or chipotle powder if desired.
Video
Notes
- Cooking oil can be the signature Chipotle restaurant rice brand oil or simply vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil.
- Guacamole can be used in place of fresh avocado for ease as well as extra flavor.
- Heat beans on the stove top or in the microwave to warm them.
- Feel free to adjust the quantities of the ingredients in the bowl to suit your preferences.
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