Chipotle Honey Chicken Copycat Recipe | Get Inspired Everyday!

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Inspired by Chipotle’s brand new menu item, this Chipotle Honey Chicken copycat recipe is perfect for tacos, burrito bowls, and quesadillas. Smoky, spicy, and sweet, this Honey Chicken is our new favorite protein to add to our Mexican-inspired meals. It’s really easy to make with a simple marinade. And the final trick is to toss the cooked chicken with a chipotle honey mixture.

Chopped chipotle honey chicken made into a burrito bowl with cheese, black beans, cilantro lime rice, chili corn salsa, Pico de Gallo and sour cream.

Chipotle’s new menu item, Chipotle honey chicken, has been one of their biggest hits yet! We tasted it and liked it more than their usual chicken option, but I have a few tweaks.

Watch How To Make Chipotle Honey Chicken

We prefer more of a balance between sweet and spicy, and the honey chicken does run on the sweet side. If you like spice too, be sure to add the extra chipotle called for in the recipe below!

Chipotle hasn’t released the exact ingredients in this menu item, so I just went based on taste-testing and adjusted from there. I don’t want to sound over-confident by any means… but this homemade chipotle honey chicken is even better than Chipotle’s!

Cubed up Chipotle Honey Chicken in a blue bowl with a wood spoon in it.

First, the chicken is marinated, then grilled, then tossed with a chipotle honey mixture at the end for extra flavorful and saucy chicken. This was the method they used in their Chicken Pastor.

And from what I could tell of the chicken we were served, they follow the same process with Chipotle Honey Chicken. Rather than making 2 different sauces, I made 1 marinade and reserved some for after the chicken was cooked.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Bowls of chicken thighs, red wine vinegar, honey, oil, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic, and chipotle on a wood cutting board.

Chicken thighs – Chipotle uses chicken thighs for their chicken options, so that is what I used as well. You can also use chicken breasts, but they dry out more easily and don’t marinate as well.
Honey – any honey you have works here, although they say they use wildflower honey. With chipotle in the marinade, you won’t notice the subtle difference between one kind of honey and another. If you can’t have honey for some reason, try using agave nectar.
Chipotle in Adobo – makes up most of the flavor in the marinade, but there is also an option for ground chipotle chili powder listed in the recipe as well.
Red wine vinegar – a touch of vinegar balances the sweet/spicy flavors, and Chipotle has used red wine vinegar in the past in their marinades.
Avocado oil – a hint of oil helps to keep the chicken from sticking. You can also use any cooking oil you’d like.
Garlic – fresh minced garlic adds savory flavor to complement the sweet/spicy combo.
Smoked Paprika – is one ingredient we know they put in their new chicken, and it adds a lot of smoky flavor without adding heat.
Oregano & Cumin – a hint of these 2 spices rounds out the marinade and adds depth of flavor.

How to make this recipe step by step

Four photos in a collage showing whisking the chipotle honey marinade and pour it over the chicken.

Step 1: Start by making the chipotle honey marinade. I mashed the chipotle peppers into the spices with the back of a spoon to avoid the need to blend them, but you can also whir this together in a blender.

Next, whisk in all the liquid ingredients until combined. Measure out 2 tbsp and reserve it in a sealed container in the fridge.

Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken thighs, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Placing the chipotle honey marinated chicken on a grill with a pair of tongs.

Step 2: Preheat the grill to maintain a temperature around 400ºF when you’re ready to cook the chicken. Make sure the grill surface is cleaned and seasoned, or apply a light coat of oil. Add the chicken to the grill and let it cook for 5-6 minutes or until the chicken easily loosens from the grill.

Remove the reserved marinade from the fridge to allow it to come to room temperature while cooking the chicken.

Removing the grilled Chipotle honey chicken from the grill with a pair of tongs.

Step 3: Cook the chicken for another 4-6 minutes or until the chicken thighs are done. Remove them from the grill.

Chopping up the chipotle honey chicken with a large chef's knife on a wood cutting board.

Step 4: Use a large chef’s knife to help chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces without touching it much so you don’t burn your hands.

Mixing the chopped chicken with the reserved chipotle honey mixture in a white bowl with a spatula.

Step 5: Toss the chopped cooked chicken with the marinade you reserved the day before and serve immediately.

Important Note: only use the reserved marinade for the cooked chicken! Never reuse a marinade that has been used on raw meat. It’s not considered safe to use even if it is boiled.

Chopped up Chipotle Honey Chicken on a wood cutting board with a large chef's knife on the side.

Ways to serve this

Make this into honey chicken burrito bowls with: Cilantro Lime Rice, Black Beans, Fajita Veggies, Grated Pepperjack Cheese, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream, and Chili Corn Salsa (in the tips below until the recipe is published).
Use this honey chicken in tacos, quesadillas, or nachos.
Try my Fire Roasted Salsa, Mango Salsa, or Grilled Pineapple Salsa when tomatoes aren’t in season.
Whatever you make from burrito bowls to quesadillas, try them with my brand new Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette mixed with sour cream, drizzled over the top for the ultimate Chipotle ‘secret sauce’.

FAQ’s

What is the new Chipotle chicken option?

This new Chipotle chicken option is a limited-time menu item called Chipotle Honey chicken. It’s a sweet spicy option that is very flavorful compared to the usual chicken option.

What is in Chipotle Honey Chicken?

Chipotle doesn’t list the full ingredients, but we do know there is chipotle, honey, smoked paprika, and other spices. The chipotle honey chicken we taste-tested at Chipotle was on the sweeter side, but we prefer to add a bit more chipotle and a hint of vinegar in my marinade to help balance the flavors.

Storing leftovers

To Store – place any leftover chipotle honey chicken into an airtight sealed container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Reheat – in a small skillet with a touch of water over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until heated through. Or you can microwave it.
To Freeze – place into a sealed container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat.

A bowl of chopped chipotle honey chicken with a wood spoon in it and a honey stick on the side.

Tips & Tricks

Make shortcut burrito bowls by making plain steamed rice, using store-bought salsa, & pre-grated cheese. Use diced avocado instead of making guacamole and serve these bowls with chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges. This really cuts down on the prep time and is still flavorful.
Don’t like spicy? Reduce the amount of chipotle and add a bit more smoked paprika! Love spice? add more chipotle!
Quick version of Chipotle’s Chili Corn Salsa: 2 cups thawed frozen corn (10 oz), 1/4 cup minced red onion, 2 tbsp minced jalapeno, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 2 tbsp lime juice, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp agave nectar.

Dietary Options & Substitutions

Gluten-free – make sure the chipotle in adobo you use is gluten-free; Embasa makes a gluten-free one.
Dairy-free – this honey chicken is dairy-free. But for the burrito bowls, use your favorite dairy-free cheese and sour cream. Or eliminate both and drizzle the bowls with my Cilantro Lime Dressing instead.
Paleo – use the ground chipotle chili powder instead of the chipotle in adobo.
Clean eating – use brown rice to make burrito bowls.

A bowl of Chipotle Honey Chicken on a blue background surrounded by bowls of rice, Fajita veggies, black beans, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Corn Salsa, Grated cheese, and sour cream.

More Chipotle Copcat Recipe Inspiration

I really hope you enjoy this Chipotle Honey Chicken copycat recipe! If you do get a chance to make it, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.