If you love Chipotle's popular chicken, you're going to love this copycat version. This juicy chicken is packed with that spicy, smoky flavor! An easy main dish made with simple ingredients. Great for the family and saving you money on Chipotle!
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What is Chipotle Chicken?
Chipotle Chicken features tender chicken thighs marinated in a blend of onion, garlic, adobo sauce, chili powder, ground cumin and other spices. Then grilled over a flame!
It's a famous chicken dish served at Chipotle Mexican Grill, a popular restaurant in North America serving delicious Mexican food like tacos, burritos and more!
Their delicious chicken is grilled in that smoky marinade and served as a main dish and great for meal prep. It's best served with cilantro lime rice, black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, fresh lime juice and sour cream.
My husband and I love Chipotle and we would dine there all the time for lunch! It brings back a lot of fond memories. That's why this dish is quite special to me.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: or substitute with skinless chicken breasts for a leaner alternative. If you use chicken breast, please reduce the cooking time by a couple minutes until you reach an internal temperature of 160 F with a digital instant read thermometer and allow the residual heat to carry-over the cooking process until it reaches 165 F. This ensures tender chicken breast.
- Neutral oil: any flavorless oil like avocado oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. I would avoid using olive oil or coconut oil due to its heavier scent.
Chicken Marinade
- Red onion: or substitute with white onion
- Garlic cloves: do not substitute with garlic powder. Fresh garlic is needed for that garlicky flavor!
- Adobo sauce: from a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. You can find canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce at most grocery stores or online on Amazon. The can is usually packaged with a red label.
- Neutral oil
- Chili powder: if you actually have ancho chili powder this will yield even better results but I understand this isn't an easy ingredient to find for most countries.
- Ground cumin: to give the chicken a warm, earthy and nutty flavor.
- Dried oregano: do not substitute with fresh oregano as it's too potent and we need a more milder ingredient.
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Cold water
Note: Your grocery store will carry these ingredients or you may find some of these ingredients online, like on Amazon.
Expert Tips
- For best results, use chicken thigh meat! This contains more fat and dark meat which is more tender and juicier than breast meat.
- Marinate overnight for best results. This allows the flavors to seep into the meat ensuring a very flavorful chicken.
- If you have a cast-iron skillet or a grill pan, use that instead! This will create an even smokier tasting chicken. But I will warn you clean-up will not be a breeze.
- If you want easy cleanup, use a non-stick pan as the marinade will stick to the pan!
- Don't skimp on the oil! Sufficient oil is needed to cook the chicken and to prevent the marinade from sticking to the pan too soon.
- Don't overcrowd the pan and fry chicken in small batches.
- Let the pan char the chicken on the edges. The charring creates a smoky flavor since we're toasting the spice marinade.
- Let the chicken rest before slicing to keep those precious juices in the meat! If you slice too soon, all the juices will leak out.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make chipotle chicken:
Prepare Chicken & Make Marinade
With a fork, poke as many holes into your chicken thighs. This allows the chicken to absorb in the flavorful marinade. Transfer chicken thighs to a large bowl or a large ziplock bag.
In a blender or food processor, add Marinade ingredients and blend on high into a very smooth paste.
Marinate & Pan Fry Chicken
Pour marinade paste over chicken thighs, cover the bowl with a lid or seal your Ziplock bag. Marinate chicken overnight for best results or for 2 hours in the fridge.
In a large skillet on medium heat, heat vegetable oil. Fry marinated chicken thighs for 7-9 minutes giving each piece enough space. Flipping the chicken over half way. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to fry in smaller batches. Cook until chicken juices run clear or an internal temperature of 165 F with a digital meat thermometer. It should have some char marks.
Rest & Dice Chicken
Remove chicken from pan. Let chicken rest for 3-5 minutes before dicing into pieces with a knife on a cutting board. This allows the juices to redistribute in the meat.
Alternative Air Fry Method
To air fry the marinated chicken:
- Lightly spray air fryer basket with oil.
- Place chicken thighs in a single layer giving each piece enough space. Depending on the size of your air fryer you may need to air fry in small batches.
- Air fry at 400 degrees F for 9-10 minutes. No need to flip. Note: there will be less charring on the cooked chicken using an air fryer over a frying pan.
Storage
- Leftover chicken will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, air fry at 350 degrees F for 3-4 minutes until warm or microwave on High for 60-90 seconds.
- Freezer friendly? This can be stored in a freezer friendly bag and frozen up to 3 months or until you see freezer burn. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan.
Pairing Suggestions
Chipotle chicken serves well with:
- cilantro lime rice, Mexican rice, white rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice
- black beans or pinto beans or Mexican-style beans
- pico de gallo, tomato salsa, salsa verde or any salsa you enjoy
- guacamole
- grilled bell peppers and zucchini
- garnishes like fresh lime juice, shredded cheese and sour cream
- over salad
- tacos, burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, chimichangas, enchiladas
- over a burrito bowl
FAQ
You can make this dish less spicy by reducing the adobo sauce to 2 tablespoon and replacing with 1 tablespoon water and reduce the chili powder by half.
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Yes, feel free to grill the marinated chicken over a flame in a barbecue grill over medium heat (350 F) and when the chicken is cooked, the juices should run clear and the meat should be white. Cooked chicken is safe to consume at an internal temperature of 165 F with a digital instant read thermometer.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy
📖 Recipe
Easy & Simple Copycat Chipotle Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil for cooking
Marinade
- ½ medium red onion coarsely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoon adobo sauce from a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup water cold
Instructions
- With a fork, poke as many holes into your chicken thighs. This allows the chicken to absorb in the flavorful marinade. Transfer chicken thighs to a large bowl or a large ziplock bag.
- In a blender or food processor, add Marinade ingredients and blend on high into a very smooth paste.
- Pour marinade paste over chicken thighs, cover the bowl with a lid or seal your Ziplock bag. Marinate chicken overnight for best results or for 2 hours in the fridge.
- In a large skillet on medium heat, heat vegetable oil. Fry marinated chicken thighs for 7-9 minutes giving each piece enough space. Flipping the chicken over half way. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to fry in smaller batches. Cook until chicken juices run clear or an internal temperature of 165 F with a digital meat thermometer. It should have some char marks.
- Remove chicken from pan. Let chicken rest for 3-5 minutes before dicing into pieces with a knife on a cutting board. This allows the juices to redistribute in the meat.
Shruti
This recipe was so easy and delicious! It’s going to be my go-to for my weekday Mexican rice bowls.
Linda
I can't wait to make this again, it was so good.
Mark
This was so good! I will definitely be making this again. It even tasted smoky like how chipotle does it.