We love grabbing dinner from Chipotle together. They always have fresh ingredients and everything is so yummy. We don’t have a favorite meal there, but we love getting any entree with their chicken or barbacoa beef. The Chipotle chicken is perfect in burritos, tacos, and even nachos! I decided to recreate the recipe at home, and trust me, my version is better than Chipotle’s! The chicken is juicy, smoky, and is bursting with flavor. It’s also healthy and so easy to make, that you’ll definitely want to add it to your rotation! The best part is that you don’t need a bunch of special ingredients to make this copycat chicken recipe. In fact, the most exotic ingredient is the chipotles in adobo, and those are pretty common at most grocery stores. The chipotles give this chicken the perfect amount of spice and smokiness and make it taste just like the restaurant. If you meal prep, making this copycat chipotle chicken once and eating it all week is the way to go. If you love recreating your favorite fast food recipes at home, see how we make Wendy’s Frosties and McDonald’s Shamrock Shakes next!
Chipotle chicken ingredients
The ingredients for this copycat recipe are pretty basic. You can find everything at your local grocery store. You may have to go down the Mexican food aisle for the chipotle peppers in adobo, but everything else should be easy to find. Here’s what you’ll need: Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to make copycat Chipotle chicken
The best part about this chicken recipe is that it’s super easy to make! When you are ready to cook your chicken, you can pick which method you prefer. I love the taste of this chicken fresh from the grill, but you can also bake it or cook it on the stovetop. The grill and the stovetop will allow you to char the chicken a bit and bring in maximum flavor.
Recipe tips
This is a pretty simple recipe, but to make the best-tasting chicken follow the tips below:
Chicken thighs are juicy and produce the best flavor, but if you don’t like dark meat, substitute with boneless and skinless chicken breasts. The recipe remains the same. Marinate your chicken as long as possible. It helps to infuse your chicken with flavor. You can do at least 30 minutes, but if the time allows it, I recommend allowing the flavors to infuse for a couple of hours and up to 24 hours.You can also pour the sauce into a Tupperware with an airtight lid to marinate your chicken. Just make sure to cover the entire chicken with the sauce.Preheat your skillet or grill before adding the chicken. This will allow the chicken to char a bit and leave you with a few darker pieces that are full of flavor. Starting with a cold pan or grill is a big no!
What to serve with Chipotle chicken
This recipe is perfect for making tacos, burritos (bowls or actual burritos), salads. Here’s how I usually serve it: I make a batch of this simple and delicious cilantro lime rice, and serve it in a bowl along with diced chipotle chicken, black or pinto beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, shredded cheese, fajita veggies, shredded lettuce, and a dollop of sour cream or lime crema. You can also serve this chicken in these baked chicken tacos, or use it to make Mexican stuffed peppers or stuffed poblano peppers. And for dessert, make this refreshing Mexican fruit salad! Everyone is going to love this version of Chipotle chicken, that they’ll be begging you for the recipe. Feel free to share it, or Pin it to save for later. © Little Sunny Kitchen
