Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl

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! In all seriousness, the closest Chipotle restaurant to us is about 3 hours away. So it’s only natural to make a version for at home that we can enjoy all the time.

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.

Let’s get started by talking about the components of this Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl

• Chipotle Chicken – just like the classic from Chipotle, but with even more flavor, makes up the perfect protein in this burrito bowl. You can also use any kind of Mexican meat recipes you’d like here like my Instant Pot Carnitas or my Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa.
• Cilantro Lime Rice – again just like the classic, and the cilantro lime combo adds so much delicious flavor here. However you can also use plain steamed rice, or for a paleo version try roasted sweet potatoes for a base, which is one of our favorites.
• Fajita Veggies – add and 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 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 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 enzymes lactase.
• 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 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 to this recipe. 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.

Serve this burrito bowl with

The toppings on the side and extra Pico de Gallo and Guacamole if desired. Lime wedges are also really nice squeezed over the top. I like to serve these burrito bowl ‘family style’ with everything separate so each person can assemble their own bowl.

Meal Prep & Storage Options

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.

You’ll find that the rice will get hard and dry over a few days in the fridge, but it’s still delicious when reheated. 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 be 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 restaurant style Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl! And if you do get a chance to make it, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. I always love hearing from you here! Also for lots more Mexican inspired recipes, head over to the recipe index.

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