Chipotle Chicken (Copycat) recipe captures the exact Chipotle flavors for you at home with chili, garlic, cumin and vinegar notes!
I love the magic of making restaurant favorites at home. Fill your Mexican buffet with Chipotle copycat recipes like Barbacoa Beef, Queso, Corn Salsa, and Guacamole you don’t need a second mortgage for!
Sabrina’s Chipotle Chicken Recipe
Chipotle Chicken is a super flavorful, marinaded, grilled chicken you can make at home in no time. Once you’ve made it, you will literally want to add it to everything you can because it is so flavorful (yet healthy) that you will find yourself eating salads just to add this chicken on top. It is that good.
The first trick to achieving the same spicy and aromatic flavor in your kitchen is to start with a seasoned marinade. Marinades use oils, herbs, and spices to amplify flavor and tenderize. This technique can be used on chicken, pork, beef, and vegetables. This chicken marinade has a familiar list of ingredients- chipotle chili powder, dried oregano, and cumin, which can be found in multiple Chipotle menu items. You likely have these spices in your pantry already! The restaurant only uses a total of 51 ingredients and bases its recipes on the combination of smoky heat and deep Mexican herbs and spices. You can do the same at home.
The second trick for making the chicken is to grill the marinated chicken on a medium high grill. An outdoor grill is great, but you can sear chicken on an indoor grill pan as well to get that charred outer layer. Grilled chicken breasts risk drying out when cooked, but you will overcome that trouble by pounding them to a thin, half-inch thickness BEFORE marinating. The chicken will cook quickly and you’ll keep all that juicy goodness inside your meat as it cooks on the grill.
How do I marinate chicken?
Pound the chicken to an even thickness about ½ inch thick
Add all of the ingredients into a large, resealable plastic bag. Mix well after closing then place in the refrigerator for 6 hours.
Remove from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the chicken for 5-6 minutes a side on a medium high grill.
How long should I marinate chicken?
Most marinades are effective from anywhere from 2 hours to overnight. I recommend marinating this chicken for at least 6 hours to develop that restaurant quality flavor.
A great time saver for weeknight meals is to put the chicken in the marinade in the morning before work, then it is ready and waiting to be grilled when you get home.
SAFE TEMPERATURE FOR COOKING CHICKEN:
When cooking (or grilling) you must cook your chicken to a safe minimum cooking temperature of 165 degrees °F (per foodsafety.gov) to avoid any issues with possible contamination. While the chicken rests it actually holds this temperature which allows it to kill any germs that may be remaining, so remember to let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
How do I get grill marks on chicken?
Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Make sure to let the grill preheat completely. The chicken marinade contains oil, so you don’t need to oil the grill further. Lay the chicken done away from you on the grill and let it stay in one position. The chicken will release from the grill on its own, and then you can use tongs to flip the chicken over to the second side.
The most important part of getting the chicken to look the same as Chipotle is the “double cooking” that Chipotle does. Once the chicken breast has been cooked they chop it into small pieces, then continue to cook it on the griddle until the small pieces form their own crust. Please do not skip this part of the cooking, it is essential. You can also see this cooking method used when I made my Halal Cart Chicken and Rice (Copycat); the texture and the flavors of the chicken are completely different than a classic Easy Grilled Chicken.
Alternative methods to cook chicken:
Grilling chicken is the best way to mimic the style of food at Chipotle Mexican Grill, but there are alternative methods you can use at home. This marinated chicken recipe can be cooked in the slow cooker, on the stovetop, or baked in the oven.
Slow Cooker: Do not pound the chicken breasts if cooking in the slow cooker. Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours.
Stove Top: Cut the chicken into cubes before marinating. Cook the chicken cubes in a large saucepan on the stove top until cooked through.
Oven Baked: Place the pounded and marinated chicken breasts on a baking tray and roast at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
How to use recipe:
burritos
tacos
enchiladas
quesadillas
taquitos
salads
bowls
More Copycat Recipes
Did I mention I have the ENTIRE Panda Express Menu?!
Pin this recipe now to remember it later
Pin Recipe
Pound the chicken to an even thickness, about a half inch thick.
Add all the ingredients together (save 2 tablespoons of oil) in a large ziplock bag (removing as much air as possible), mixing it well together after closing, and marinate for at least 6 hours.
Remove from marinade and add to a medium high heat grill and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through then chop roughly.
Add chopped chicken and 2 tablespoons of oil to a large pan on medium high heat to crisp for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
