Like most people, we here at Midamar love a tasty burrito from time to time. In fact, it’s something of a weekly ritual to me, a little reward for the week where I get to enjoy my favorite tasty ingredients all in one tasty place. In the spirit of delicious convenience, we decided to take some inspiration from one of the greats, a chain favorite of burrito lovers everywhere, with our own take on a Burrito Bowl from Chipotle with this copycat recipe. Tender rice, juicy chicken, and any topping you desire can be yours, made your way at home with just a few simple steps!
We broke our recipe down into a few simple steps, starting with marinating our Halal chicken. It’s a simple blend of a few key spices like cumin, garlic powder and, perhaps most importantly, diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Just enough to infuse the chicken with a little bit of a savory and smokey flavor combination so it always stands out when you take a bite. Marinating this for an hour gives you plenty of time to prep some of the other ingredients for these bowls.
Like any self-respecting burrito connoisseurs, we used a cilantro-lime rice for the base of our bowls. It’s prepared much the same way as any other rice, just with the addition of some lime juice with the water when you set this rice to cook. I’ve been told that I have an unfortunate mutation that makes cilantro taste like soap to me, I accept that and never let it keep me from loving a good burrito, so that cilantro will get added to the rice when it’s done cooking.
We also used a little cilantro in our homemade pico de gallo (awesome transition, Evan)! The classic mix of tomato, some onion, and a little bit of jalapeño is always a favorite for me for a mix of fresh and tasty veggies that complement what would otherwise be a very savory blend of ingredients. We deseeded our jalapeños but if you’re a spice lover then now’s your chance to go crazy and add some kick to this recipe.
With that out of the way, we took the chance to do some grilling before the weather takes a turn for the rest of the year. If you happen to be reading this when outdoor grilling isn’t an option, you can always pan fry the chicken too. But we had the chance to get a great char on the chicken that only grilling provides so we had to take advantage. We also grilled up some corn in a grill basket to give it a nice char on the outside as well, it’s another favorite topping for me personally.
With the cooking done you’re ready to start building your bowls, and you are free to include any favorite toppings of yours that we missed out on in this recipe. We opted for the rice, pico, corn, some pinto beans, Monterey Jack cheese, and the chicken. If you have a favorite sauce, toss it on top, include some queso, guac, or whatever your heart desires! This is your chance to build it your way, just like at Chipotle, and they taste amazing because they were made fresh from the comfort of your kitchen.
What’s your go-to burrito or bowl? Let us know down below here or on social media. As nice as it is to run out and grab a meal to go, give these a shot at home sometime and maybe you’ll cook up a new favorite recipe that you can brag to your friends about. That’s it for this week! As always, we can’t wait to bring you another delicious Halal recipe next week, but until then, enjoy this one and share it with someone else that’s in need of a tasty recipe.
