These Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls are a homemade version of the classic restaurant favorite from Chipotle. They’re easy to meal prep as well so you can enjoy burrito bowls all week long. They taste even better than Chipotle’s burrito bowls, and they’re chock full of healthy veggies and fresh ingredients.
We’re bringing together all my latest Mexican-inspired recipes with this restaurant-inspired burrito bowl. Whether you just love Chipotle and want to make it at home, or you’re like us and don’t even have a Chipotle near you, these recipes are for you!
The whole ‘Chipotle concept’ appeals to me so much. I love building a bowl and being able to pick and choose what goes into it. The only thing that gets me in trouble, is I’m a sauce and toppings kind of person. So obviously my ‘build a bowl’ always gets to be a little expensive.
Luckily burrito bowls are easy to make at home. And now you can enjoy these for dinner with all the toppings you’d like without surcharges. The other bonus with making your at-home Chipotle experience is you get to choose the quality of your ingredients, and just load up on the veggies.
Ingredients for this Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Chipotle Chicken – just like the classic from Chipotle, but with even more flavor thanks to a marinade made with chili powder, garlic, chipotle pepper, and dried oregano. I don’t use chipotle in adobo sauce in that recipe because it’s not always allergy-friendly. My chipotle chicken recipe is made with chicken thighs, but you can use chicken breasts. It’s made on the grill but you can pan fry it on the stovetop as well.
- Cilantro Lime Rice – again just like the classic, and the cilantro lime combo with a touch of cumin adds so much delicious flavor here. However, you can also use plain steamed rice or brown rice, or for a paleo version try roasted sweet potatoes or cauliflower rice for a base, which is one of our favorites.
- Fajita Veggies – add an extra serving of veggies and really round out the flavors of this burrito bowl.
- Lettuce, black beans & corn – we always add some sort of lettuce or greens to our burrito bowl. Romaine lettuce is a favorite for the extra crunch, but green leaf lettuce works as well. Black beans and corn are also classics in burrito bowls but feel free to leave them out if you can’t eat them.
- Pico de Gallo – or fresh salsa is really delicious in a burrito bowl. But when tomatoes aren’t in season, try my Fire Roasted Blender Salsa. Or you can always mix things up with a tropical fruit salsa like my Mango Salsa, or this Caramelized Pineapple Salsa.
- Best Guacamole – what is a burrito bowl without guacamole? But if you’re running short on time, you can always use diced or sliced avocado instead!
- Grated cheddar cheese & sour cream – are also traditional in burrito bowls, but these can also be left out if you can’t have dairy. There’s plenty of flavor to go around without the cheese and sour cream. We’ve started getting a sour cream that’s labeled ‘lactose-free’ and it’s been so great to have sour cream in our house again. We both used to get stomach aches, but not with the lactose-free version which just adds the enzyme lactase.
- Extras – black beans, pinto beans, diced red onion, corn, or corn salsa are all extra options as well.
- Dairy Free Queso – If all dairy is out of the question, no worries! You can also make my dairy-free queso to have on hand. It also freezes really well, so you can make it ahead and just reheat it before serving. Don’t worry if you take it out of the freezer and it’s all broken and separated. When you reheat it, it comes back together all silky smooth.
Now let’s make this recipe step by step
Step 1 Make all of the different components of this recipe and season each to taste with sea salt. Feel free to make more or less of the ingredients listed in this burrito bowl recipe.
I wanted to keep this recipe more authentic to a classic burrito bowl, but you don’t have to make each thing!
Step 2 Pile the lettuce and rice into a bowl.
Step 3 Then layer on the Chipotle Chicken, Fajita Veggies, and any of the toppings you’re using.
Pictured above I’ve added shredded jalapeno jack cheese, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, and some corn.
Ways to serve this
- Serve this burrito bowl with extra Pico de Gallo and Guacamole.
- Try either my Mango Salsa or Pineapple Salsa in place of the Pico de Gallo. When tomatoes aren’t in season, use my Fire Roasted Salsa.
- Lime wedges are also really nice squeezed over the top. I think a little lime juice adds a lot of fresh flavor to these bowls. I like to serve these burrito bowl ‘family style’ with everything separate so each person can assemble their own bowl.
Storing leftovers
- To store – place any leftovers into separate containers and refrigerate for 4-5 days. The guacamole won’t keep well and should be fresh, but the Pico de Gallo will keep at least 1-2 days.
- Make ahead – These recipes are great for make ahead for meal prep, except the guacamole which is always best fresh. We like to prep the different components on the weekend, and then just reheat to make bowls during the work week. These recipes that make up the burrito bowl keep well for 4-5 days in the fridge.
- Reheating – What I like to do is heat the chicken and rice together in a small skillet until warmed through. This allows the rice to soften and have a great texture again. You can also use a microwave to reheat as well.
This Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl is my ‘build a bowl’ series all put together
- Chipotle Chicken (Chipotle Copycat)
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Easy Fajita Veggies
- Pico de Gallo (Easy & Authentic)
- The Best Guacamole
- Easy Fire Roasted Blender Salsa
- Instant Pot Queso (Vegan – Paleo – Dairy Free)
Choose as many of the above recipes as you’d like to mix and match and create a taco bowl or burrito bowl as a variation to today’s recipe. You can also mix things up by trying my Instant Pot Carnitas or Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa.
This burrito bowl ‘recipe’ is really just measurements or a ratio of ingredients to get you started. From there you can use any of these recipes to create as many variations as you’d like.
I really hope you enjoy this copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls recipe! And if you do get a chance to make it, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below.
Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl
INGREDIENTS
- 6 cups shredded romaine or green leaf lettuce
- 3 cups - or 1 recipe Cilantro Lime Rice
- 1 recipe Chipotle Chicken - or 6 – 1/2 cup servings Mexican meat of your choice
- 1 1/2 cups Pico de Gallo - or salsa of your choice
- 1 recipe The Best Guacamole - (or 2 avocados, sliced/diced)
- 4 cups Fajita Veggies - from 1 recipe, (2/3 cup per serving)
Toppings of your choice:
- Black beans - corn, sour cream, grated cheese etc.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Start by making each of the different recipes that make up this burrito bowl.
- Serve everything separately family style so each person can choose how to build their bowl.
- Or to assemble a burrito bowl, place the lettuce and Cilantro Lime Rice into a bowl.
- Then top with the chopped Chipotle Chicken, Fajita Veggies, and your choice of black beans, corn, cheese, and sour cream.
- Serve with Pico de Gallo and Best Guacamole.