Copycat Chipotle Chicken with Cilantro Lime Rice
For the first 12 weeks of the pandemic my family did not order any take out. At all. That meant that we were eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at home. They help out in the kitchen, but I am pretty much the one who cooks most of the meals. So it forced me to get creative and try some new recipes. And I was up for the challenge! One of their favs is Chipotle. I’m not a huge fan, but only because they use chicken thigh (gag!) and I prefer chicken breast. I know, I know, the thigh is juicer, blah blah. But I’m just not a fan of dark meat. So when it came time to give this Chipotle recipe a try, I told them I would only do it with chicken breast. Well, let me tell you…it was ah-mazing!! The flavors came together perfectly and I swore I was eating Chipotle (but of course it was better because chicken breast, lol!).
While there are quite a few ingredients, it is pretty easy to make. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!
Copycat Chipotle Chicken with Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
Marinade for the chicken
- 1.5 lbs of chicken breast cut into strips
- 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce plus a some of the sauce
- 1/2 medium onion
- 2 cloves of fresh garlic
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- salt pepper or seasoning salt to taste
For the Cilantro Lime Rice
- 3 cups of cooked white rice equal to 1 cup uncooked rice
- Fresh cilantro to taste
- Juice from 1/2 fresh lime
- For the bowls or burritos
- Corn
- Black beans
- Tortillas for burritos
- Salsa
- Jack cheese
- Sour cream
- grilled onions green and red peppers
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Chicken
- Add chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, onions, garlic, oregano, cumin and oil to a food processor and blend until smooth. It will be kind of thick and that's perfect.
- Lightly season chicken with salt and pepper OR seasoning salt (I use Lawry's instead of salt and pepper). Mix and then add to a large resealable plastic bag along with the marinade. Seal the bag and shake to ensure that the chicken is thoroughly coated. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge about 30 minutes before you are ready to cook.
- Preheat grill to high. Grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Serve chicken as the base of your burrito or bowl.
Cilantro Lime Rice
- Cook rice according to directions.
- While rice is cooking chop cilantro. You can use as much or as little as you want. I use about 2 tbsps.
- While the rice is still warm add to a medium size bowl.
- Add cilantro and squeeze 1/2 lime over the rice. You can use more if you prefer a bolder lime flavor.
- Use a large spoon to mix together.
- Serve with burrito or bowl.
Top your bowl or burrito with whatever you like. We use all of the toppings I mentioned above. Guacamole is also a fav but my family are not fans.
Enjoy!
