The key to this amazing copycat recipe for Chipotle chicken is the marinade, and getting a nice sear on the chicken for those crunchy bits of cooked marinade!
Ingredients:
- ½medium red onion(coarsely chopped)
- 3clovesgarlic(coarsely chopped)
- 2tablespoonsadobo sauce(from a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
- 2tablespoonsolive oil
- 2tablespoonsancho chile powder
- 1teaspoonground cumin
- 1teaspoondried oregano
- 1tablespoonsalt
- ½teaspoonblack pepper
- Water(as needed)
- 3 to 4poundsboneless skinless chicken thighs
Directions:
- Make the Marinade: Place the onion, garlic, adobo sauce, olive oil, chile powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Pour the marinade into a 1-cup measuring cup and add enough water to reach to 1 cup.
- Using a fork, poke holes all over the chicken thighs and place in a resealable plastic bag. Pour the marinade over, seal, and use your hands to move the marinade around so that all of the chicken is evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Cook the Chicken: Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, until completely cooked through, 165 to 175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. (I recommend cooking in two batches and adding more olive oil in between, if needed). Remove the chicken to a large cutting board and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. Slice or chop the chicken, as desired. Serve in a burrito, in a salad, or on its own!
Recipe Notes:
Note: You will not need all of the sauce from the can of chipotle peppers, but you can freeze the remainder (use an ice cube tray for easy measuring!), as well as the chipotle peppers, for another recipe. Nutritional values are based on one serving
Nutrition:
Calories: 343kcal
Fat: 15g
Saturated fat: 3g
Cholesterol: 215mg
Sodium: 1838mg
Potassium: 644mg
Carbohydrates: 4g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 44g
Vitamin A: 17.2%
Vitamin C: 1.8%
Calcium: 5%
Iron: 15.6%
This sounds amazing and has officially been put on the menu for this weekend! Quick question – how much did you trim your chicken thighs? They often have so much of the fat on them and trimming can often reduce them to smaller pieces. Just curious as I often use thighs in braises but not in pan-sear recipes :)
Hi Kristin, I didn’t really go crazy with trimming, if there was a big piece of fat hanging off, I took it off, but that was about it. Mine didn’t really have much fat on them other than those few pieces.
oooh! Thank you Michelle! I am making this ASAP!
This looks really good wonder if you could use use chicken beast and then
“crockpot” it until it shreds… Thoughts ?
Hi Laura, It won’t be an exact replica, of course, but it would certainly work!
Ok I love Chipotle THANK YOU!!! My question is what kind of cheese do they use???
Hi Amy, I looked this up as well! It’s Monterey Jack!
Oh my…paired with your rice recipe, this is going to be heaven! I love visiting your site…I know the recipes are always terrific. If you ever whip up the Chipotle salsa recipes, I hope you’ll share. Thanks!
I made this tonight for our dinner but had to leave the the adobo out as it’s impossible to find in vietnam. We turned it into fajita’s and it was delicious. Will make again.
Hey! What size cast iron skillet did you use?! I’m wondering how many batches it will be. I’m thinking of getting my first cast iron skillet, so if you have any recommendations on size/brand. Please let me know!
Hi Ria, I used my 12″ cast iron skillet for this and was able to do it in two batches. I use my 12″ and my 10″ skillets both very often. I have Lodge brand!
This chicken looks so delicious. Chipotle isn’t my fav burrito place, but its definitely a great go to option for a quick meal!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Just pulled these out of the pan! Didn’t have red onion so just used yellow, and also didn’t have ancho chile powder so used regular. Will look for some the next time I’m at the store. Smells wonderful!
Made this tonight for Cinco de Mayo using chicken breast, regular chili powder, and used a nonstick pan. Despite all these changes, this chicken was fabulous! Thanks!
The only change I made was using the outdoor grill to cook the chicken. Thank you Michelle, another amazing recipe!
I just finished making this recipe and it is FANTASTIC!! Thank you, this will definitely be added to my “go to recipe” file.
The degree to which this marinade looks, smells, and tastes EXACTLY like Chipotle is actually a little scary.
Incredible recipe.
My daughter is an “expert” when it comes to Chipotle. She loves that restaurant. I made this chicken and it was delicious!!! The recipe made 6 large burritos, which would have cost me close to 50.00 easily. I made these delicious burritos for less than 20.00. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
This was great! I had to make a few changes, as I was working out of my fiancé’s kitchen. As I was cooking it, I gave him a little piece to try. He said, “This is what gets you a ring!” Lol. Needless to say, we loved this meal.
This looks delicious! Can anyone tell me if it is super spicy? I am planning on making a taco bar for my daughter’s birthday party this week so I’m concerned that this might be too spicy for kids. To be clear, these are 9 year olds and up, not picky 2 year olds. Thanks!
Hi Laura, Not super spicy at all! Of course everyone has a different tolerance level when it comes to spice, but I think this is quite mild.
Great! Thank you for replying! I look forward to trying it out this week!
Looks so good! Do you think this marinade would be good for fajitas? Thanks!
Yes, definitely!
Made it and LOVED it. I didn’t add any water to the marinade, just used it in paste form. Fabulous.
Great recipe ! Though I found it only slightly resembling THE Chipotli’s all my family loved it and said that it is a definite keeper recipe…not an easy task.I did make one change, I used half thigh, half breast because we tend to be white meet eaters. The thighs kept the meat moist and wonderful. I am planning to use this recipe times about five and serve at my New Years party as a buffet. I think the crowd will love it.
THIS IS DELICIOUS!!!!! I have a newfound obsession with Chipotle and wanted to try to make burrito bowls at home. I found this recipe and it was a HUGE hit. I marinated for about an hour, as I didn’t have a ton of time. I’m making this again for a party this weekend (thinking about doubling the recipe, so we have more leftovers! :-)), and plan to marinate for longer. SO YUMMY!!!