Copycat Chipotle Chicken Recipe
This copycat recipe for Chipotle chicken is spot-on, and arguably even better than the original! You will LOVE this marinade!
I’m back today with the recipe I promised you would complete the cilantro-lime rice that I shared yesterday…
A copycat recipe for Chipotle’s chicken!
When my husband suggested replica Chipotle burritos for lunch a couple of Saturdays ago, the chicken was an essential. While I will get either chicken or barbacoa in my burrito or tacos, my husband is a straight-up chicken burrito lover, so I knew that’s what I’d make for lunch. Another round of searching for the perfect Chipotle chicken recipe led me to this amazing marinade. When my husband smelled it, he said he wanted to just eat it by the spoonful. It’s seriously some amazing stuff!
The chicken can be marinated for just an hour, or up to one full day. Of course, the longer you let it stew in that marinade, the more the flavor is going to soak into that chicken.
You can choose to cook the chicken however you’d like – baked, grilled, sautéed – but I really, really recommend that you sauté in a pan, preferably a cast iron skillet if you have one. Doing so will guarantee a wonderfully crusted exterior, which is the creme de la creme of this chicken. If you’d prefer to use chicken breasts instead of thighs, you can do that too, but I highly recommend the dark meat, as it ensures chicken that is nice and juicy, and nowhere near dry, which is a potential pitfall of using chicken breasts.
So, how did this recipe fare? My husband declared it better than Chipotle, and my mom and father-in-law, neither of whom are huge fans of Mexican food, LOVED it. I’ll call that a massive success. We used the chicken to make burritos, and then I used leftovers to make my own burrito bowl the next day.
I’ve already made this Chipotle chicken again to have in the fridge for salads and wraps, and it is definitely on its way to becoming a weekly staple on our menu!
One year ago: My Favorite Guacamole Recipe
Four years ago: Mint Julep Jello Shots
Six years ago: Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread
Seven years ago: Three Cheese Beer Bread
Copycat Chipotle Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ (0.5 ) medium red onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce, from a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) black pepper
- Water, as needed
- 3 to 4 pounds (1.36 kg) boneless skinless chicken thighs
Instructions
- 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!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I have used this recipe for multiple large events and it is easy and tastes delicious. I recommend it with no modifications. Super simple to make for our family dinners or grad parties.
Fantastic! I love how versatile this is. I marinated the chicken overnight, knowing we always have ingredients for Mexican style dishes, but no exact plan. We ended up adding it on top of rice, with choices for personal likes such as onions, cheese, salsa…Everyone was happy:) Super tasty recipe!
This has become a family favorite recipe in our house! I love it. Thanks so much for sharing!
Great recipe! I usually make something like this in the instant pot , but wanted a change. I decided to put lime juice instead of water, because I think it helps tenderize the meat. I like the skillet option , but I have a grill pan that works well. I don’t think it was too much salt since it is for 3-4 pounds of chicken. The servings shoud be 3.5 to 4 ounces per person so this serves way more than the recipe stated. (more like 12 servings). I always put leftover adobo sauce in a small zip lock and just break off a small piece when needed. I didn’t use all the marinade so I saved some and used some as a base for a yummy chipotle dip for chips or as a topping. Thanks for sharing!
I know this is not the intent of your recipe but do you think freezing the chicken and marinade together then thawing and cooking in a crock pot or instant pot would work? It looks delicious and I love making freezer packs for the crock pot for my son.
Hi Beth, Absolutely, that’s a great idea!
I replied to someone below with this comment too. Olive oil should not be used for frying or any high-heat cooking method. Vegetable oil or grapeseed oil is better because their smoke point is higher and the flavor doesn’t burn.
The comment here from the chipotle person made me chuckle, saying the restaurant just uses plain adobo sauce for the marinade..
Would love to make this but will it come out okay with less salt? I don’t know that I can bring myself to put a full Tablespoon of salt in anything. ??
Hi Lori, You can reduce the salt, but keep in mind that it’s for the marinade, and you won’t be eating all of that. The salt helps to tenderize the meat. Enjoy!
I made this last night for dinner and it is SO GOOD! Thank you for the recipe ❤️
Love this recipe. Thank you. The only thing I do different is I cook mines under the broiler. Much easier clean up.
Have you or anyone tried this with chicken breast instead of thighs?
Just wanted to drop a comment. I’ve made this recipe numerous times. My family has thoroughly enjoyed “Chipotle bowl night”. The only changes I did was increase the garlic because.. my family is preparing for the rise of the vampires – just a little joke- and chicken breast. I haven’t been to Chipotle in a while because this hits the spot.
Thanks.
I’ve made this recipe twice. The first time I thought it was good, but a little too salty for me. This time I used half the salt and it tastes very good!!! Doesn’t taste exactly like Chipotle; however, it is good enough if not better in some regards.
I think this marinade (along with your recipe for the rice taste just like the Chipotle burritos we love. We just kept wanting to eat this chicken… it was soooo good on it’s own We recreated the corn salsa on our own and it was just perfect with everything else.
While this is a good marinade, the end result didn’t taste much like Chipotle chicken to me.
As soon as I finished making the marinade I was surprised how much it smelled like a smoky BBQ sauce (from the adobo sauce, I’m sure). The final chicken also tastes somewhat smoky, which doesn’t jibe with the chicken at Chipotle, which to my palate doesn’t taste smoky (more garlic-y and salty, I think).
FYI I used chicken breast and marinated it for about 5 hours, then grilled it on a gas grill. It looked great and tasted good, but just not a match to Chipotle. The search continues…
I made this for dinner last night and received Amit of praise from husband and my 10 year old. Being quarantined, it was great tasting something so familiar and fun again! Thank you!
This is my GO TO chicken recipe for when I make Mexican food! As a former manager of Chipotle, I can say this is definitely better than the original. Our marinade was ONLY Adobo, and then adding salt while chicken was on the grill. The onion, garlic and oregano really give it a much more complex flavor! Never going back to Chipotle with this recipe. It’s super easy, and absolutely DELICIOUS! I’ll make the marinade and we will have left overs for to go bowls which my partner loves taking to work with him. I also sometimes use chicken breasts (which aren’t as juicy as thighs) but still work great with the marinade if I don’t have thighs on hand. Seriously best version of this recipe! Wonderful job! Would give more than 5 stars if I could :)
I’m so thrilled to hear this!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, xo!
Do you have other recipes since you worked at Chipotle?! Would love the rice and carnitas recipe too! Thanks!!
If I was going to use Chicken breasts how much should I use?
Hi Colleen, Same amount!
I am making this tonight and just made the marinade (with the addition of a splash of lime juice, black pepper, marjoram, and a shake of coriander) and it tastes AMAZING! Just like the flavor of Chipotle’s chicken wow. I also added more salt but I like my chicken really salty (and I know Chipotle adds a whole lot of salt to theirs!)
Delicious! I marinated the chicken for 2 days. My husband said it was the best taco he’s ever had!
Whenever I brown meat in a skillet, with olive oil, it sticks. Whats the secret to this browning ,without sticking?
Carol, use either vegetable oil or grape seed oil (it is flavorless but has a high smoke point). Olive oil has a low heat point and is not the optimal one to use for frying, and if you are frying at the proper temperature the oil isn’t adding any flavor.
I use olive oil or avocado oil and haven’t had an issue with it burning. You need to preheat your skillet first, then add your oil, then meat. (especially preheat if using cast iron)
For someone who’s cooking challenged, what’s the measurement of the onion and garlic in cups or fractions thereof after being coarsely chopped?
Has anyone tried to freeze the rest of the adobo sauce and peppers? Hate to let it go to waste!
I freeze the extra adobo and chipotle flattened out in a sandwich bag. Then when a recipe calls for it, I just break off what I need.
We made the extra sauce all the way through the recipe and froze it–just pulled it out of the freezer, defrosted, and marinated our chicken. It held up really well in the freezer.
I just made this and my Chipotle loving kids said it tastes just like Chipotle. They love it. Great recipe. It is so good!!!
My extremely picky daughter loved this chicken and wanted more. Third time making it today. Thanks so much for the recipe!