It isn’t very often that I look to fast food restaurants for cooking inspiration.  I don’t think you’ll really be seeing any recipes on here for Big Macs or Quizno’s sandwiches any time soon. Maybe a frosty, though…

At any rate, I admit I love Chipotle.  Just like any other fast food, though, I rarely eat it. Maybe 2 times a year.  Most of the time I eat fast food, I end up feeling like a giant greaseball afterward and it totally wasn’t worth the many calories I spent. But, I don’t feel that way about Chipotle. From the rice (which I like despite not even liking cilantro!) to the hot salsa, I love it.

If you remember, a few months back I was on a mission to organize my recipes. Well, I did (at least most of them). I put them in a binder, tabbed by main ingredient/course, and have been flipping through it a lot lately, looking for things that could be made on the stove or grill.  I’ve  had this copycat recipe for Chipotle’s chicken marinade saved for a long time, so I decided to make it. I soaked the chilies overnight, made the marinade before work, and Tom threw them on the grill when he got home. I reduced the amount of oil a bit and used dried oregano (because I had it around). Otherwise, everything stayed the same. I COMPLETELY forgot to salt the chicken pre-grilling, though, so don’t make that mistake. We salted it after, and it still tasted great but not quite the same.

I went with brown for the rice to make it a little more healthful. All the copycat recipes for rice I was finding asked that you actually boil the rice in broth and lime juice but I didn’t. I know I’ve seen them add the lime after the rice is cooked, so I went that route.

These were a great way to cure the chipotle craving in a somewhat healthier way.

Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bols

Serves 4
Printer Friendly Recipe

1 batch Chipotle chicken (recipe follows)
1 batch cilantro-lime brown rice (recipe follows)
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed, heated & seasoned (I simply heated mine with a little salsa, salt & pepper)
toppings of your choice (for us: queso fresco, lowfat sour cream, taqueria salsa, lettuce & tomato)

Spoon the rice into each  bowl, followed by the beans, then the chicken. Top with your garnishes, and enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken

Adapted from Chipotle Fan

2 oz. dried ancho chilies
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 red onion, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. canola oil
4 chicken breasts

Soak the dried chilies overnight in water. Remove stems and seeds, and chop coarsely.  Add all ingredients except chicken to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Rub the marinade into the chicken and marinate at least one hour, up to 24.  Season the chicken with salt to taste. Grill the chicken for about 5 minutes per side or until cooked through.

Cilantro-Lime Brown Rice

2/3 cup brown rice
1 lime
2 Tbsp.  chopped cilantro

Cook your rice like you would pasta, using this method here. I promise for things like this (as opposed to pilafs, etc.) you will never go back to your normal method. :)

Stir in the lime juice (add the zest if you want it more lime-y), cilantro, and a pinch of salt. Fluff with a fork.