Make your own…Chipotle edition

One of the places that I’m sure I’m not alone in missing is Chipotle. And even though we do have Mexigo, there is really no replacing a good old-fashioned Chipotle burrito bowl. But, when you think that you cannot possibly wait until your next return trip home to get your Chipotle fix, this recipe is a damn good substitute.  I prefer to have it burrito-bowl style myself, but if you’re super keen for a traditional burrito, all of these ingredients can be packed into a tortilla as well.

 

Ingredients

For the basics:

Long grain rice (brown if you’re feeling healthy, white if you want an authentic Chipotle experience)

Fresh cilantro, chopped

2 limes

Canned black or pinto beans

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

3 tomatoes

1 red onion

Cumin

Oregano

Salt

Pepper

 

For chicken:

Chicken breast (as much as you think you can eat)

Chipotle chili

Rice bran oil (olive oil works as a substitute)

Cumin

Salt

1 clove garlic

Black pepper

1 tsp honey

 

For the vegetarian option:

1 white onion, chopped

3-4 peppers, red, green, or yellow, sliced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

 

Optional toppings:

Guacamole

Sour Cream

Jack and White Cheddar Cheese

Chopped lettuce

 

For the rice:

1. Cook as per instructions on bag, take off heat and add juice of 1 lime, some (but not all) of the chopped cilantro, and add salt to taste.

For the beans:

1. Add salt (if not already salted), oregano, and garlic to the beans, mix, and set aside.

For the salsa:

1. Chop tomatoes and red onion into cubes, and mix with juice of ½ lime, and small handful of chopped cilantro.  Add salt to taste.

For the chicken:

1. Pour enough rice bran oil to cover chicken into a large bowl (roughly 2 cups, depending on how much chicken you have), and mix with chopped chipotle chili, cumin, salt, garlic, oregano, and honey to make the marinade for the chicken.
2. Chop chicken into cubes or bite-sized slices, and place in bowl with marinade.  Let the chicken soak for at least an hour.
3. Heat a small amount of oil in pan on high, once heated, cook chicken for five minutes, or until the bottom is golden. Then, turn chicken over, and cook on low heat for an additional ten minutes, with the pan covered.  After ten minutes, without removing the lid, take chicken off heat and let sit for another ten minutes before removing the lid.

For the vegetarian option:

1. Heat a very small amount of oil on high heat with garlic. Once hot, add white onions and peppers, but do not stir! Let sit in pan until the veggies begin to smoke, then turn heat down to medium, and stir.
2. Add cumin and salt to taste.

 

Layer these in a bowl, or on a tortilla, and top with guacamole, sour cream, cheese and lettuce.

 

As is true Chipotle style, you can pick and choose any (or all!) of these to fill up your burrito bowl, and enjoy! It’s almost as if you’ve brought it home in the brown bag and foil from Chipotle itself.