Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls
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Happy Sunday guys! How’s your week been? I know what you’re thinking… “Two posts in one weekend?? Where is Star, and what have you done with her?!” Ha! I don’t know, y’all. I’ve just gotten into a groove lately. I started taking some new vitamins, maybe that’s the ticket! Haha! But enough of that. We’re talking about Chicken Burrito Bowls today!
I’m convinced that the perfect Chicken Burrito Bowl has three main components to make it really really good, and here they are:
- Flavorful and perfectly cooked chicken
- Flavorful and perfectly cooked Beans, and…
- Flavorful and perfectly cooked rice!
I posted each of those three recipes for ya last week, so we’ve got that covered. I guess you don’t have to use these specific recipes to make it work, but I’ll tell ya what- My family and I give you our GUARANTEE that it’s worth whatever time and effort it takes to make these three. The only thing missing is a good corn salsa… I’m still workin’ on that recipe. I would’ve had it done, but it needs Poblano peppers. And for some reason, it seems like we’re having a Poblano pepper shortage here in Illinois. I say this because the last few times I’ve gone grocery shopping (even at different stores), I can’t find a dang Poblano pepper anywhere! So the Corn Salsa recipe is on hold for a bit, but I’ll get it to ya some day soon. It’s basically the cherry on top of the burrito bowl sundae, but you don’t need to it to dive in and experience this serious deliciousness!
Some factual info that y’all need to know bout these bowls:
- You need them in your life.
- They are bursting at the seams with flavor.
- They make for the ultimate meal prep. Seriously, perfect for make ahead lunches/dinner.
- Healthful and filling!
- A lot less calories and weight watchers points than the ones from the restaurant!
- They’re just so perfect for parties. Seriously, BYOBB Bar- “Build Your Own Burrito Bowl” Bar!
- Did I mention how yummy they are?
I’m sure your first thought is “This is A LOT of food to make for one meal, isn’t it?” I’m not going to beat around the bush, It kind of is. You will have dishes, so let’s get that one out of the way. Coming from your girl who hates dishes more than mushrooms, let me just say- these are worth doing a few extra dishes. I make these weekly, and they are the perfect thing for me to have in the fridge to stay on track. Eric is also completely obsessed with them, so he takes them in his work lunches. While it takes a little time to get all the components made, you get 5-6 burrito bowls out of it. And that makes them perfect for workday lunches, am I right? (You will have some extra beans & rice to work into other meals or on their own too!)
Basically, what I am trying to tell ya is- these are well worth the extra bit of work, I promise.
Now let’s talk about whatcha need, and how to go about it. Obviously, you can make all this in any ol’ order that ya want, but this is how I go about makin’ my burrito bowls for meal prep.
First off, You need to make the marinade for the Chipotle Skillet Chicken. This needs to be done at least 8 hours before you want to cook up the chicken/make the burrito bowls. Honestly, I usually make the marinade and throw the chicken in it the night before I plan to prep the burrito bowls. It’s up to you! Just be sure you allow the chicken to marinate for at least 8 hours. (The longer the better- I had it in there for 18 hours once!) You can check out the full recipe for the Chipotle Skillet Chicken HERE!
Now It’s time to make some burrito bowls! In a pot, combine the ingredients for Quick Chipotle Pinto Beans, move it to the back burner, and put in on medium-low heat. This recipe is so delicious, and literally could not be any easier… you just throw a bunch of stuff in the pot, and you let it be. The recipe says to let it cook together for 10-12 minutes, but you can just reduce the heat to low and let is simmer while you’re prepping other stuff, for pretty much as long as it takes ( should be bout 25-30 minutes). I get this one out the way first, because I don’t even need to think about it. You can grab the full recipe for Quick Chipotle Pinto Beans HERE!
Next, I get the Cilantro Lime Rice ready and on the stove. Fill a pot full of water and put it on the stove over high heat. While waiting for it to come to a boil, I rinse the rice, squeeze the lemon/lime juice into a small bowl, and mince up the cilantro. When the water is ready to go I throw in the rice cumin, bay leaf, olive oil, and kosher salt, cover it, and set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes. When it’s done, ya add a tiny bit more kosher salt, cilantro, and lime/lemon juice. Now you can let it sit for a bit while you finish cookin’ up your chicken. You can find the full recipe for Cilantro Lime Rice HERE!
While that rice is cooking up, start your chicken! (Did anyone else read that like “Start your engines!” I know, I’m weird, whatever.) Okay- Chicken. Focus. Get a big ol’ skillet, add a bit of oil, let it get nice and hot, and cook it up. A couple’a things: You’ll need to cook the chicken in multiple batches, even if you have a big skillet. Be sure not to crowd the pan because if you do, you won’t get the extra-tasty charred bits on your chicken. And that delicious detail, I believe, is of the utmost importance. So cook your chicken, let it rest, dice it up. Then throw the pieces back in the pan for just a few minutes, and you’re GOOD TO GO. You can see the full recipe for Chipotle Skillet Chicken HERE!
Oh and Don’t forget, You’ll need some shredded lettuce to make a proper burrito bowl. I don’t know why, and maybe it’s just me being slightly weird and a bit picky, but thinly cut romaine lettuce is really the ONLY lettuce I like in these Chicken Burrito Bowls. I don’t need any of that fancy green leafy stuff and I definitely don’t want iceberg (because iceberg is basically WATER in lettuce form…. that can be good sometimes, but not right now). I feel very strongly about this. Chop your romaine lettuce into thin strips, and love it as much as I do, please!
Bonus recipe one: SALSA. Homemade Salsa is perfect, fresh, and full of flavor. It’s the perfect addition to your burrito bowl! I call this a bonus because while I think it makes the Chicken Burrito Bowls even more yummy, it means another step and more dishes. So honestly, if ya don’t feel like it, don’t. Just grab your favorite salsa, and plop it on top! You can make this salsa while you’re making everything else which I don’t really recommend. You may start to hate making burrito bowls, because your kitchen sink will be overflowing with dishes… OR you can make it days ahead of time (recommended!). You can find The BEST & EASIEST Salsa Recipe HERE!
Bonus Recipe Two: Southwest Chipotle Ranch. Here’s another recipe that can be made DAYS ahead of time. Again, this is not necessary, but it sure is yummy to top off your bowls with! You can find the recipe for the Southwest Chipotle Ranch HERE!
These are just so dang delicious and filling, and it’s an absolutely beautiful plate of food. What more could we want out of life, friends?
I know this requires a few steps, but I wouldn’t be posting it if I didn’t think it was worthwhile. And I surely wouldn’t be doing those extra dishes! Haha!
I know all of you will just LOVE these Chicken Burrito Bowls. I don’t know if I’m qualified to say this, and I’m probably just the tiniest bit biased… but I think these might even be better than the actual Chipotle Burrito Bowls! I hope you love’em as much as we do.
With love from my kitchen to yours,
Star
Chicken Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
- 5 cups Skillet Chipotle Chicken
- 2.5 cups Cilantro Lime Rice
- 2.5 cups Quick Chipotle Pinto Beans
- 3-4 cups Romaine lettuce chopped into thin strips/shredded
- Salsa optional, not included in points or calories
- Guacamole optional, not included in points or calories
- Shredded Cheese optional, not included in points or calories
- Southwest Chipotle Ranch optional, not included in points/calories
Instructions
- Marinate Chipotle Skillet Chicken 8 hours (or over night) before making Chicken Burrito Bowls.
- Make Pinto Beans, Cilantro Lime Rice, and Skillet Chipotle Chicken.
- Assemble bowls: Add 1/2 cup of rice, 1/2 cup of beans, and 1 cup of chicken into bowl. Top with shredded lettuce. Mix together.Optional: Top off with shredded cheese, guacamole, salsa, and/or southwest chipotle ranch for optimal flavor!
I cannot wait to make these! You are my favorite food blogger and I love every recipe that I have tried. I think we must share similar taste in flavor profiles:)
These are spectacular! The adobo sauce adds so much flavor! We love these so much!
I’ve had so much fun this morning meal prepping three of your recipes! I did the chipotle chicken burrito bowls, the breakfast sandwiches with the two ingredient dough, and I have a large crockpot of marinara slowly cooking in the kitchen. My house smells so good! Thank you for your recipes they are all delicious!! I really appreciate you doing all the hard work so that we can just enjoy cooking and eating♥️
This is one of our favorite recipes! My husband gets so excited when I make this and even my picky little 1 year old eats it up! @laxmii28
One of my favorite OG recipes from the beginning of my journey on WW. Love this so much. So many delicious flavors and so filling. If you haven’t tried this yet you really need to. Thanks for bringing this deliciousness into my life. @my_fit_junket
Absolutely delicious! This is one of my favorite things to make on Sunday and have for work all week! It’s hard to pick one favorite because all of your recipes are amazing!
ww _erin_losing_it
I have held off on making this for too long because of all the different steps and the mound of dishes I would face after it. I wish I made this sooner! It’s absolutely amazing and a hit! I even hate beans just as much as I hate mushrooms, but these beans mixed with everything is perfection!
this was great, but I did end up with WAYYYYY more rice than any other of the components so I’ll probably halve that next time
I made this recipe and everything you suggested throughout except the rice. It is absolutely amazing!! My 13 year old absolutely fell in love with the Chipotle Rance dressing which is mind blowing. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
Hi Kim! I am sooooo happy y’all are loving these bowls! I’m so obsessed with them too.
This was a huge WIN in my house tonight! Even my really picky eaters loved the chicken. I will definitely be making this again!
Yay! Thanks so much for stopping by to comment and let me know!
I’ve been seriously eyeing your recipes for quite a while, but haven’t ventured to make anything. (I look at/ buy cookbooks the same way others do People or Cosmo. Don’t judge.) This morning I already have started making my grocery list so I can try a few of your recipes, including this one. I knew you were my kind of girl when I read your comment about mushrooms!
I love that you buy cookbooks like that! They are filled with so much more info than cosmo, I’m sure! Haha! I’m kidding. I hope you LOVE all the recipes you decide to try. And, yeah mushrooms are practically the bane of my existence. Bleh!
Made this tonight and the teenagers said it tasted just like pancheros without the shell…….everything is gone!!! Thanks so much for the New Mexican night recipe!!
yay!! so happy everyone loved it
This was to die for delicious!!! The pinto beans were perfection and the rice so amazing. The chicken was tender and full of flavor. Thank you for a recipe that I will make again and again!
How does the rice do when reheated or do you eat these cold I’m still learning this meal prep
Everything reheats super well!
Made the chicken tonight and man!!!! So delicious!!!!! It was hard to stop eating.
I could eat your recipes every day!!! Thanks for all you do!
Made the chicken tonight and man!!!! So delicious!!!!! It was hard to stop eating.
I could eat your recipes every day!!! Thanks for all you do!
Wow! This is sooooo good!!
Wow! This is sooooo good!!
Hi! I made these last week. The chicken was so delicious! The beans were easy and I ended up using 2 chipotle peppers so they were spicy and so good! I ate them as leftovers until gone. The rice I did mix half cauliflower rice and 1/2 brown rice. Still tasted amazing. Definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Hi! I made these last week. The chicken was so delicious! The beans were easy and I ended up using 2 chipotle peppers so they were spicy and so good! I ate them as leftovers until gone. The rice I did mix half cauliflower rice and 1/2 brown rice. Still tasted amazing. Definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Made these today and my family loved all the flavors and variety – thanks
Made these today and my family loved all the flavors and variety – thanks
This was a hit with my family! My daughter gobbled it up and said it was better than Moe’s (Southwest chain restaurant similar to chipotle). Thanks so much! Loved it!
YAY! Thanks for letting me know. I’ve always wanted to try a Moe’s glad to know that I don’t really need to now. Haha!
This was a hit with my family! My daughter gobbled it up and said it was better than Moe’s (Southwest chain restaurant similar to chipotle). Thanks so much! Loved it!
YAY! Thanks for letting me know. I’ve always wanted to try a Moe’s glad to know that I don’t really need to now. Haha!
This was dee-licious. I cooked my chicken on my Foreman grill, which eliminated the need for the oil. OMGoodness!
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed! I use my grill pan from time to time too SO GOOD! I can’t wait to get these babies on a charcoal grill this summer.
This was dee-licious. I cooked my chicken on my Foreman grill, which eliminated the need for the oil. OMGoodness!
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed! I use my grill pan from time to time too SO GOOD! I can’t wait to get these babies on a charcoal grill this summer.
This has been the best recipe I’ve made from your site thus far. I am in LOVE with this burrito bowl!
I’m so in love with these too. I’m so happy you love’m!
This has been the best recipe I’ve made from your site thus far. I am in LOVE with this burrito bowl!
I’m so in love with these too. I’m so happy you love’m!
This Chipotle chicken is so good. Will make it again this week. My rice I rinsed ahead then cooked it but my rice turned out mushy. Any ideas why
This Chipotle chicken is so good. Will make it again this week. My rice I rinsed ahead then cooked it but my rice turned out mushy. Any ideas why
Mine too
This Chipotle chicken is so good. Will make it again this week. My rice I rinsed ahead then cooked it but my rice turned out mushy. Any ideas why
This Chipotle chicken is so good. Will make it again this week. My rice I rinsed ahead then cooked it but my rice turned out mushy. Any ideas why
Mine too
Same here.
OMG this was Amazing!! My son loves Chipolte and could not believe how good it was, even Hubs who doesn’t really eat rice loves it!!
OMG this was Amazing!! My son loves Chipolte and could not believe how good it was, even Hubs who doesn’t really eat rice loves it!!