DIY Chipotle Burrito Bowl

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If you’ve been a big fan of the Chipotle Burrito Bowl for as long as you can remember, here’s how to make it at home!

DIY Chipotle Burrito Bowl from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

We’ve always been big fans of Chipotle in my family. We would stop at various locations in junior tennis days between matches! That continued through college, where I ate at Chipotle on a regular basis because it was a fast option, and there was guacamole. These days, I still want all the goodness of a Chipotle Burrito Bowl, but I’d rather make it at home! So I’m whipping up my version of a DIY Chipotle Burrito Bowl so we can all enjoy these little bowls of heaven on a regular basis. I know you’ll also love that these bowls are ready and on the table in 30 minutes, so that means they are the perfect meal for a busy weeknight, and you can always count on them being a crowdpleaser.

Let’s talk about the chicken in this recipe, which is bananas. It’s THAT good. The secret to how it’s so flavorful is the marinade. I recommend letting the chicken marinate for at least an hour, but you can also prep the chicken the night before or the morning of when you plan on cooking it by placing the chicken with all the marinade ingredients in a zip top bag and letting it marinate in the fridge until you’re ready to cook it. Seriously don’t skip this step. It makes a world of difference. Then when you’re ready to cook it, throw it on the grill or on a cast iron skillet to get a nice sear on it. After it’s finished cooking, let it rest for 10 minutes to lock in the juices before cutting it up into small bite sized pieces.

DIY Chipotle Burrito Bowl from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Next up is the rice. This is the base of our bowl, so we’re adding a little bit of pizazz to some basmati rice with a garnish of cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice to take it to the next level. This cilantro lime rice is the key to building all the flavor and where all the magic happens. I promise once you try it, you’ll never go back to plain rice.

DIY Chipotle Burrito Bowl from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

For toppings, we’ve got all our favorites on deck pinto beans, charred corn, guac, pico, and shredded cheese, but feel free to throw in whatever you’ve got on hand into the mix. And just a suggestion, you might want to make a double batch of guac because can you ever have too much guac?

Everything combined into one big bowl makes the perfect quick and easy meal during the week for lunch or dinner.

And if you’re cooking for a group that has different dietary restrictions or for picky eaters, these bowls are going to be your best friend. You can serve the chicken, rice, and all toppings separately and let everyone assemble their bowls with whatever they like. They are truly the perfect family meal that allows everyone to recreate their go-to chipotle burrito bowl order from home!

Stuck in a dinner rut? Looking for new delicious dinner ideas?  Check out my roundup of 50+ easy dinner ideas here.

DIY Chipotle Burrito Bowl from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

DIY Chipotle Burrito Bowl

4.9 from 7 votes
One of your fav fast casual meals, made from the comfort of your own home!
Prep Time 1 hr 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican, Tex Mex, Southwestern
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

For the Chicken

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

For the Rice

  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup white basmati rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
  • kosher salt to taste

For the toppings

  • 1 cup pinto beans warmed
  • 1 cup frozen charred corn warmed
  • 1 cup guacamole
  • 1 cup pico de gallo
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup finely shredded monterey jack cheese

Instructions
 

For the Chicken

  • Combine the vegetable oil, chopped chipotle peppers in adobo, garlic powder, cumin, dried oregano, and black pepper in a small bowl and stir to combine.
  • Place the chicken in a large zip top plastic bag and add the marinade. Zip the bag and mix the chicken into the marinade. Place it into the fridge and let it marinate for at least 1 hour.
  • Heat an indoor or outdoor grill to about 400 degrees F (medium high heat). Remove the chicken from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken onto the grill and grill 5 to 6 minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes. Chop the chicken into small bite sized pieces and use as needed.

For the Rice

  • In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the white rice and lime juice and sauté for 60 seconds to toast the rice.
  • Add the water and bring the rice to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low and cook until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed.
  • Add in the cilantro and fluff rice with a fork.

To assemble

  • Arrange equal parts of the white rice and chopped grilled chicken in 4 bowls. Top with equal parts of the pinto beans, corn, guacamole, pico and cheese. Season with salt and pepper as needed and serve immediately.

 Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking

111 Comments

  1. I made this recipe with one minor alteration. Before I go any further…it was amazing!

    I am a hypocrite because I hate when people review stuff after they’ve made like a billion changes to the recipe–and I did just that. I did not have peppers in adobo sauce on hand, but I found a substitute for it on another page (https://www.pepperscale.com/chipotle-in-adobo-sauce-substitute/):

    Mix 1 tablespoon tomato paste (or if you must – ketchup), 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (or smoked paprika/cayenne powder mix), 1/2 teaspoon cumin, a pinch of oregano, a pinch of garlic powder, and a pinch of salt.

    This bowl is absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making this again when I have a craving for Chipotle. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

  2. My husband would devour this! His love for all things burritos is out of control! And I love the bowl idea, super fun!

  3. Made this for lunch today! Followed recipe as is, except I baked the chicken at 400 degrees for 23 minutes. It was DELICIOUS!!!! Will definitely make this again

  4. Just made this for dinner except we had beef instead of chicken! Spot on! Literally a godsend for those of us living on a continent where’re no Chipotles, thank you 🙂

  5. I made this almost exactly how it said & it was literally BETTER THAN CHIPOTLE! I didn’t have vegetable oil, I used olive oil! Still great! I’m going to be making this all the time . Way cheaper than chipotle and so healthy and filling!

  6. The chicken seasoning is amazing!!! Even better than Chipotle. Thank you for satisfying my Chipotle craving without having to leave the house.

  7. 4 stars
    I, too, love making a version of this bowl at home – nice recipe! I also have been playing around with rice alternatives – barley and farro are great!

  8. 5 stars
    It was sooooooo good. I wish I hadn’t drained/rinsed the beans because it would have given the rice a gravy of sorts. It’s a great recipe!

  9. 5 stars
    The chicken was delicious! And the rice turned out great as well. The bowl tasted so similar to what you get at Chipotle! I spent the most time chopping everything for pico and guacamole – otherwise this came together super fast!

  10. Omg! This was so much better than any Chipotle bowl I have ever eaten! The chicken was perfect. Love, love, loved the cilantro lime rice. Gaby for the win! I will make this on the regular!

  11. Hi, I’ve noticed that Chipotle’s pinto & black beans are spicy and have been wondering how to make spicy beans quickly & simply. Thanks

    1. I couldn’t find chipotles in adobo at my local store, do you have any other suggestions for making beans spicy. Thanks so much for responding. I know you’re busy

  12. 5 stars
    I’ve made this so many times for dinner! The chicken is super flavorful. The leftovers are great for lunch!

  13. 5 stars
    I looooove Chipotle bowls!
    I especially love the corn salsa and the vinaigrette. Any chance you can recreate those??

  14. 5 stars
    Sooo good!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe Gaby. My family ate it all and still wanted more…..

  15. This was so freakin good. I ate way too much of it. I have never eaten at Chipotle, so don’t know how to compare. But if theirs tastes this good, I’ll be going there!

    Thanks for the recipe!

  16. Gaby,
    This recipe was WONDERFUL! I trippled the chicken part so made 3 batches of marinade! My kids and husband and daughter-in-law loved the Chipotle bowl! The chicken was incredibly tender and easy to cut up and serve! Thank you for this fun DIY version of a Chipotle bowl! You rock!
    Renee

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