Grilled

Chipotle style Chicken Burrito Bowl

The Chipotle burrito bowl recreated at home. A satisfying meal made at home with copycat Chipotle burrito bowl elements- cilantro-lime rice, guacamole, salsa, corn salsa, chicken, and black beans.

Now that I have moved to India, there are certain things I really miss about the US. Besides my friends, the food has to top the list, and Chipotle’s Burrito Bowl is one of the things I miss quite a lot.

Before moving to Dallas, even in Morenci, Chipotle was a luxury and a must almost every time we visited Phoenix. I had attempted recreating the Chipotle Burrito Bowl recipe at home in the US as well. I remember it was really good, but somehow I never got around write the recipe down for the blog.

Since I had some time to myself between projects, I have been trying to be more active on the blog, a space that keeps getting neglected time and again. Here I am today sharing the recipe for Chipotle’s Chicken Burrito Bowl.

I will not call it a copycat recipe exactly since some of the elements that go in the bowls are not easily available here in India but I can assure you while it’s not a completely copycat Chipotle Burrito bowl recipe, the flavors are all there.

If you have ever had the Chipotle Burrito Bowl, you know you can customize it as you like. For me, it was always the cilantro-lime rice, black beans, fajita mix, corn salsa, medium and hot salsa, lettuce, always topped with sour cream. The chicken, guacamole and cheese would depend on my mood. So the recipe that I am sharing for the Chipotle Burrito Bowl comprises of these elements. You can, of course, add or subtract as per your preferences.

The recipe for this Chipotle Burrito Bowl is adapted from different sources. The guacamole recipe is from Chipotle’s own site, with a little additions at my end.

The salsa recipe, which is now my go to recipe is 95% homemade and adapted from Cullinaryhill.com (so is the cilantro-lime rice recipe) but I also add a touch of store bought salsa each time I make it. It just gives that consistent taste, because fresh tomatoes depending on the ripeness and the season, vary in taste.

The Chipotle style chicken recipe has been adapted from Brown eyed Baker’s recipe. She mentions in her post how that marinade is the key, and I agree it is an absolutely winner. You need to make this chicken just for the marinade. I can’t sell it enough- yes its that good! Since adobo sauce is not easily available where I live, I have listed the substitute I use in the recipe.

The corn salsa is one of my favorite parts of the burrito bowl. I am a sucker for corn, what else can you expect! I forget the exact sources but the recipe is a mixture of various ones. The Fajita mix is one I use when I make kathi rolls and is a super easy one.

I have used red kidney beans in the pictures, but Chipotle uses black beans in their burrito bowls and so did I when I made this copycat recipe the first time. Its just that I did not have black beans and didn’t have the time to find the canned ones, but if you make the burrito bowls and want to stay true to the original use black beans.

The recipe does have plenty of elements, but they are all easy to put together so don’t be too intimidated by the number of ingredients and steps. It is mostly a lot of chopping and mixing and not much of cooking. I am listing the recipe in the sequence I would recommend making those elements, so that you have your work more streamlined. Having a DIY Chipotle burrito bowl station for a get together would also be a fun idea, if you plan to serve this to guests. Serve it with a chilled glass of beer and you have a party!

I do hope you do get to try this recipe out. If you do, please tag me in your creations either on Instagram, Facebook or leave a comment here.

Chipotle style Chicken Burrito Bowl

Recipe Type: main

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Shumaila

Serves: serves 4

Ingredients

For the Chipotle Chicken:
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 chicken breasts, or 800 grams boneless thighs
For the salsa
300 grams tomatoes, pulp removed (about 5-6 tomatoes)
1 small onion
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
3 jalapenos
2 tsp lime juice
2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 heaping tablespoon of store bought salsa, optional (if not using store bought salsa, then you might need to add a little sugar)
salt, to taste
For the corn salsa
2 cups corn
1 tsp melted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 2 limes
salt, to taste
For the guacamole
2 avocados
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1-2 tsp lime juice
1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt
For the cilantro-lime rice
2 cups rice, washed and drained
1 bay leaf
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cilantro
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp butter
For the Fajita mix
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow pepper and 1 red bell pepper, sliced
2 small onions, sliced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt, to taste
1 tsp vinegar
For the black beans:
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp chilli powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp dried oregano
For assembly:
lettuce
sour cream
shredded cheese

Instructions

For the chicken:

Make the marinade by blending all the ingredients except the chicken listed in a blender or food processor till a smooth paste is formed. Adjust seasoning, if required.Transfer marinade to a bowl. Poke holes in your chicken using a fork, and coat the chicken in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably overnight. Make other elements while chicken is marinating. When ready to cook, preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add sufficient oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken and let cook on high on both sides till charred slightly and then lower heat, and cook covered for a few minutes, till chicken is completely cooked. If using breasts be sure not to overcook the chicken. remove from pan and let rest on chopping board for 10 minutes, before chopping it to smaller pieces.

For the salsa:

In a food processor, blend all ingredients listed under salsa. If you want a slightly chunkier salsa, use the pulse mode to get desired consistency. Check for seasoning. Remove and keep aside.

For the corn salsa:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Season and set aside.

For the guacamole:

Scoop the avocados out in a bowl. Add the lime juice. Add salt and mash with a fork till smooth. Fold in the remaining ingredients that have been finely chopped and mix well. Adjust seasoning.

For the Cilantro-lime rice:

In a large enough pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add salt and the bay leaf. Add the washed rice to the water and return to a boil. Boil uncovered for 12 minutes. Remove bay leaf and drain rice using a strainer. Rinse with water. Stir in the cilantro, lime juice and salt and 1 tbsp butter.

For the fajita mix:

In a skillet, heat the oil on high heat. Add the sliced peppers and onion. Sprinkle the salt,vinegar and oregano and cook for about a minute or so. I like my fajita mix slightly crunchy and have found a minute keeps the crunch intact but also cooks the raw taste of onions, if you would want them softer you could cook slightly longer. Remove from heat. You could make this element just before serving so that its hot and fresh.

For the black beans:

Heat some oil in a pan, sauté the drained beans with some chilli powder and oregano. Check seasoning. Take off heat. Keep aside.

Assembly:

When ready to plate up, heat the rice, chicken and black beans. Portion out a little of the rice, chicken, black beans on to a plate. Top with the fajita mix, corn salsa, salsa and guacamole. Add sour cream and lettuce. If you like, sprinkle some cheese on top.

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