Dec 31, 2014
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These copycat Chipotle chicken burrito bowls are a delicious and easy dinner idea you can make at home!
In this recipe, I share how to make every component of those incredible burrito bowls from Chipotle – at home! There’s the chicken, salsa, cheese, and of course, guacamole- we’re not leaving out anything.
Chipotle Bowls at Home
These homemade chicken burrito bowls have everything you get from the chain restaurant minus the upcharge for guacamole. Each bite includes rice, tender chicken, salsa, cheese, and extra guac- what’s not to love?!
Each ingredient can also be prepped days ahead, stored in the fridge, then reheated and assembled quickly on the night you planned to make them. It’s another reason I love making these burrito bowls for a weeknight dinner.
More Easy Meal Prep Recipes Here
Chicken Burrito Bowl Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to build these burrito bowls:
- rice: the starch base for this recipe. Want a low-carb version? Use cauliflower rice or shredded lettuce.
- shredded chicken: the only difference between my homemade bowls and Chipotle’s is that their chicken is seasoned, and mine is from a rotisserie chicken. Shredded rotisserie chicken is delicious and helps get dinner on the table faster.
- canned black beans: drained, rinsed and reheated in a microwave-safe bowl. If you don’t have black beans on hand, try this with pintos or your favorite variety.
- corn: frozen or canned will work great!
- cheese: shredded Cheddar or any of your favorite blends.
- salsa: use jarred salsa or fresh Pico de Gallo. Both add zesty, fresh flavor.
- guacamole: I have an easy guacamole recipe that takes less than 5 minutes to whip up. You can also use a store-bought version or fresh, whole avocado that’s been pitted and diced.
- black olives: canned, sliced black olives are a favorite taco topping.
- sour cream: the “cherry” on top of this burrito bowl. Swap for Mexican crema, a thinner and tangier version of sour cream you can find in the Latin American refrigerated section at the grocery store.
If I don’t plan on cooking chicken that week, I take the shortcut and purchase a rotisserie from the market. It’s a secret weapon ingredient to help make figuring out mealtimes even easier and can be used as a protein base for stir-fry, tacos, pasta, and more.
My local grocery store sells amazing roasted chickens for about $5, and they make a great base for these bowls and other recipes.
If you already love this dinner idea, then you’ll enjoy more like it in my Meal Prep’d book. All 60 of the recipes are made with ingredients that can be prepped ahead and assembled later in the week or cooked for a family dinner and repurposed into lunch the next day. It’s a perfect example of how you can cook once and eat twice.
This helps save so much time in the kitchen and takes out the question of “what to make.”
You can get all the recipes AND MORE, plus tips on how to pack them in lunch containers right below.
Meal Prep’d eBook
In this book, I share 70+ recipes that can be cooked ahead, stored in single-serve portions or frozen, and save you time and effort in the kitchen.
Cook once and have ready-to-eat meals for an entire week. These nutritious and filling recipes can be enjoyed as dinner or packed for lunch.
How to Make Burrito Bowls at Home
Now that we’ve got those ingredients, let me show you how to assemble a copycat chipotle burrito bowl.
- Cook the rice
Prepare the rice on the stove-top or in a rice cooker. - Shred the chicken
Using a fork, shred the rotisserie chicken meat and place it in a serving bowl. - Assemble the toppings
Combine the corn and black beans in a microwave-safe bowl and stir to combine. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until heated through. Season with salt, if desired.
Place the remaining toppings in individual bowls. - Build your bowl!
Grab a bowl, add a scoop of rice, top with chicken and load up with cheese, salsa, guac, sour cream…. the list goes on.
I like to set up all the ingredients on the table or kitchen island. Once I have everything set up, we each grab a bowl, and layer the rice, rotisserie chicken, and all our favorite toppings. Of course, salsa is essential. And avocados or my Easy Guacamole. And sour cream. And cheese….
Let’s build one together in this quick recipe video:
More Chicken Burrito Bowl Toppings
These burrito bowls make a great self-serve dinner. I like to set up all the ingredients on the table or kitchen island, so we can each grab a bowl, layer the rice, chicken, and load up with our favorite toppings.
You saw the ones in the ingredient list above, but if you are an experienced Chipotle fan here are a few additional items to try on your bowl:
- avocado
- Queso Fresco
- Cotija
- chopped cilantro
- a squeeze of lime juice
- sliced red peppers
- shredded lettuce
- tomatillo salsa
How will you top your Chipotle chicken burrito bowl?
Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl (copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice
- 1 rotisserie chicken shredded
- 15- ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups corn
- ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup Salsa jarred or fresh Pico de Gallo
- ½ cup Easy Guacamole or 1 avocado diced
- ¼ cup sliced black olives
- Sour cream
Instructions
- Prepare the rice according to package directions.
- With a fork, shred the roasted chicken and place in a serving bowl. Keep warm and set aside.
- Combine the black beans and corn in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute or until heated through and season with salt, if desired.
- Place the remaining toppings into individual bowls.
- Grab a bowl and add a scoop of rice. Top with the shredded chicken, black beans, corn, and your choice of toppings.
Kelly B
My kids, husband, and I LOVED this! It was better than Chipotle. My oldest and middle daughters both asked if we could do burrito bowls again soon. Something about the combo of the rotisserie chicken with the rest of the ingredients really makes it great. We used monterey jack cheese, black beans, corn, salsa, guac, and plain brown rice. It was so easy and so very yummy! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe–it’s simple and awesome!
Laura Fuentes
This makes my heart smile. Knowing that I was able to share a recipe that your entire family loved and now you don’t have to eat out! Definitely the rotisserie chicken combo along with the fresh ingredients really makes it awesome for us. Better than take out 😉
Amber
Looks delicious! And very simple to put together… I like the customization aspect too. Although I think my husband would wonder what I have against tortillas – he considers them a food group of their very own! But that’s the beauty of the customization – he can eat his in one instead of a bowl. 🙂
Laura Fuentes
Tortillas will work too. Like a taco bar 😉
Julie
We used refried beans (because black beans don’t like me), Greek yogurt for sour cream, and cooked chicken breast with taco seasoning. All the rest was the same. It was a HUGE hit!! Thanks so much. I don’t have a Chipotles so I never would have thought if this. Sooooo yummy!
Laura Fuentes
Awesome Julie! Now you can add burrito bowl night to the list of successful dinner ideas!