Valentina Ablaev
A chicken burrito bowl is the ultimate healthy and delicious, flavor-packed meal! This Chipotle chicken burrito bowl is the best copycat recipe that gives you those iconic flavors right at home. Tender, juicy chicken served over a bed of fluffy rice is perfection, and the best part? You can load it up with all your favorite toppings for the perfect customizable bowl!
Best for Meal Prep
When it comes to a bowl, the options are endless! You can make everything from a shrimp bowl to a easy ground beef taco bowl, and even a chipotle-style burrito bowl! This is great for lunch, dinner, and even meal prep for the week!
Ingredients for Homemade Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Rice – Cilantro lime rice makes the perfect base for this bowl.
- Chicken – Chicken thighs seasoned with a variety of flavorful spices.
- Corn – Buttered corn adds a delicious flavor profile to this bowl.
- Pico de gallo – Our homemade pico de gallo makes the perfect salsa from scratch.
- Toppings – Sliced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, and lettuce take this bowl over the top.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
More Toppings
Get creative and take the toppings up a notch! Here are some great things to add to this bowl:
- Creamy avocado sauce
- Fresh jalapenos
- Fajita veggies
- Black beans
- Romaine lettuce
Tools for this Recipe
Shop all of Valentina’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and kitchen must-haves!
- A non-stick skillet is a great way to cook up this chicken. You can also use a cast-iron pan to get a delicious sear on the chicken.
- Use a meat thermometer to check that the chicken is cooked through.
Chipotle Bowl Variations
- Switch the protein: Swap the chicken for carne asada steak or even homemade beef barbaco, also known as shredded mexican beef!
- Low-carb: Make this bowl a healthier meal by turning it into a salad! Swap out the rice for greens and make a delicious Chipotle chicken salad.
How to Make a Chicken Burrito Bowl From Scratch
- Cook rice. Prepare the white rice and top with lime juice and fresh cilantro.
2. Marinate chicken. Season the chicken thighs with chipotle spice mix.
3. Cook the chicken. Cook the chicken in a hot pan until golden-brown and cooked through. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan, chop it into bite-sized pieces, and cover to keep warm.
4. Prep corn. Add the corn to the pan with a little butter and sauté until golden brown.
5. Make salsa. In a bowl, mix tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and lime juice.
6. Build. To a bowl, add rice, top with chicken, salsa, corn, shredded cheese, avocado, and lettuce. Serve, and enjoy!
Homemade Chipotle – Meal Prep Edition!
Chipotle at home is fabulous for meal prepping! Prepare all the sides and toppings and package them into Tupperware! Assemble in the morning to take to school or make the bowl right before serving!
Valentina’s Tips:
- Extra flavorful chicken. If time allows, let the chicken marinate in the fridge for a few hours!
- Get creative with serving. We love setting up all the fresh toppings in a line, just like Chipotle! Everyone comes up to the table and assembles their own bowl.
How to Serve Chipotle Bowls
- Chips and guac: Just like at Chipotle, you can serve this bowl with tortilla chips and fresh guacamole!
- Side tortilla: I love me a side tortilla to wrap up a homemade Chipotle burrito! Warm up a large flour tortilla, and serve it with the bowl!
How to Store and Reheat Chipotle Chicken
- Storage. Keep leftovers stored separately, rather than the assembled bowl! Store rice, chicken, and toppings in separate containers. This way, everything reheats separately, and you don’t end up with warm tomatoes!
- Reheat. Warm up the rice by steaming in the microwave, and you can sauté the chicken for a crispy finish.
- Freeze. We don’t recommend freezing the bowl, as the toppings won’t hold up when reheating.
More Healthy Recipes
If you enjoyed these Chipotle burrito bowls, be sure to try our other healthy recipes; here are some of our favorites:
Chicken
Seafood
Chicken
One Pan Meals
Seafood
One Pan Meals
If you tried this easy Chipotle chicken burrito bowl recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Chicken Burrito Bowl
Ingredients
rice –
- 1/2 cup white rice uncooked
- 1 tsp lime juice for rice
- 1 tsp chopped cilantro for rice
chipotle chicken –
- 3/4 lb chicken thighs boneless skinless
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground paprika
- 1 Tbsp oil
toppings –
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 cup corn
- 1/3 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp small red onion chopped
- 1 tbsp cilantro
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- avocado sliced or guac
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
- romaine lettuce chopped
Instructions
- Cook the rice using your favorite cooking method. Drizzle the hot rice with fresh lime juice and cilantro. Fluff up and set aside.
- Marinate the chicken with the cumin, chili powder, coriander, salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika.
- In a skillet, heat oil to medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs to the pan in a single layer and cook on both sides until cooked through. Use a meat thermometer to check that the chicken reaches 165°F and is golden brown on both sides.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and cover to keep warm. Once slightly cooled, chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- To the same pan, add butter, corn, and saute until golden-brown.
- In a small bowl, mix chopped tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and lime juice to make homemade pico de gallo.
- Slice the avocado or prepare guac.
- To build your bowl, add a handful of white rice.
- Top the rice with chicken and the rest of your desired toppings. We love to add sour cream, shredded cheese, and lettuce, along with the prepared salsa.
- Serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Flavorful chicken. Marinate the chicken for a few hours in the fridge if you have extra time. This will make the chicken extra flavorful and delicious.
- Serving. Serve these bowls up just like Chipotle! Set up the ingredients in a line and have everyone assemble their own bowls!
- Store leftovers. Keep the components stored separately for peak freshness. This way, when reheating, you don’t have to warm up fresh salsa!
Nutrition
Faqs
This Chipotle spice mix isn’t spicy, perfect for people with a low spice tolerance.
Make the chicken spicy by adding cayenne pepper to the spice blend.
Cook up the chicken on the grill to infuse it with a delicious grilled flavor.
