Copycat Chipotle chicken recipe is to die for and even better than the original! It's so juicy and made with an incredible marinade that is simple, fast, and so tasty!
Chipotle Chicken Recipe
Chipotle Mexican Grill has always been one of my favorite places to pick up a quick, healthier meal option to-go. You can pretty much get anything you would like on it, and it's fast. Even though it's one of my favorites, I am trying to kick the habit of getting things out when I know I can make them at home for a fraction of the cost and I know what's precisely in the ingredients. Quality ingredients are everything in a simple recipe.
So I went on a mission to be able to create everything you can order in the Chipotle line, but it's been a lot of hard work trying to nail the flavors perfectly. With that being said, I am going to be sharing all of the recipes over the next couple of weeks (there are a lot of them!). And I must say I think my copycat chipotle chicken recipe is even better than the original. You can bake it; you can grill it, you can also fry in a skillet on the stove. So easy and so versatile, my friends.
What goes into a chipotle chicken marinade?
Two main components have a significant role in Chipotle's chicken marinade: adobo peppers in adobo sauce and ancho chili powder. With ancho chilies, you can always buy dried ancho chilies and soak them, but that method isn't for me because the process is so long. I like to purchase ancho chili powder which you can find at or local supermarket or even grab it on Amazon.
How to cook chipotle chicken:
- Grill - you can grill it over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until it's cooked through or at 165 degrees F.
- Stovetop - you can use a cast iron or any other type of skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until it's cooked through or at 165 degrees F.
- Baked - preheat an oven to 425 degrees and bake for 20-25 minutes or until it's cooked through or at 165 degrees F.
All cooking methods are explained more in detail in the recipe down below.
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See more Chipotle Recipes:
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If you love chicken recipes, I highly recommend making my perfect oven-baked chicken breasts, baked cajun chicken breasts (so good!), 5-ingredient tex-mex chicken marinade, or even baked teriyaki chicken. All are lovely options to try.
Copycat Chipotle chicken recipe is to die for and even better than the original! It's so juicy and made with an incredible marinade that is simple, fast, and so tasty!
- 4 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 small white or red onion, quartered
- ¼ cup distilled vinegar
- 2 tbsp ancho chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 4 tbsp oil , divided (vegetable, canola, rice bran)
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- 2 tbsp adobo sauce
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Add garlic, onion, vinegar, ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, 2 tbsp oil, salt, pepper, chipotle pepper, and adobo sauce to the blender or a food processor and blend until smooth.
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Place the chicken thighs in a large Ziplock bag and pour in the marinade. Close the bag and mix everything together until the chicken thighs are coated. Place into the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours or overnight.
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Preheat grill to medium-high heat and coat grill with 1-2 tablespoons of oil and grill each side for 3-4 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. You may need to cook all of the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet, depending on size.
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Allow chicken thighs to rest and roughly chop.
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Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. You may need to cook all of the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet, depending on size.
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Allow chicken thighs to rest and roughly chop.
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chicken thighs in a large baking dish and bake for 18 minutes.
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Remove baking dish from oven and place aluminum foil on top and bake for another 4-5 minutes.
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Allow chicken thighs to rest and roughly chop.
Chelsea, this was fantastic! My family loved it, and everyone but my son, said it was definitely better than Chipotle. To be fair, that’s only because he gets steak, yet he did admit it was amazing! My only change, due to not reading the directions thoroughly, was I precut the raw chicken into cubes and combined it with the marinade. Then I cooked it all together in a cast iron skillet, so it was saucy and delicious!! Thank you so much!
So glad you and your family enjoyed it, Lori!
We loved this recipe! I sliced the chicken thighs prior to marinating because I only had about 1.5 hours to marinate. I broiled in the oven and it turned out perfectly for our burrito bowls. I will definitely be making this again.
So glad you enjoyed it, Alicia! It's one of our favorites.
delish!!! Wow. Honestly this is almost better than Chipotle!!!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Carolyn!
Made this today because my daughter wanted chipotle and I feel they are over priced. She told me it was better than Chipotle it made me feel good because she loves loves that place. Now we can make our own bowls. Thank you for the recipe
Lisa
Yay! So happy you and your family enjoyed it, Lisa! It's one of my favorites.
I had 3lbs of boneless chicken thighs and had no idea what to do with them until I saw this recipe. It was delicious! I made it exactly as directed other than using chipotle chili pepper (my grocer didn’t have ancho) and grilled them. So good! Definitely a keeper and repeater for us! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Jen!!
Do you think I could freeze this marinade without meat in it? Or any idea how long it would stay in the fridge without meat in it? Thanks
Sure! I would say 4-5 days in the fridge, Donna.
Do you think this would work well in a crockpot?
I haven't tried it in the crockpot, Robin. Try on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Let me know how it turns out!
We tried the crock pot- it worked pretty well, as it is chopped finely for tacos. The flavor is very nice. Thank you for sharing.
I just discovered you today when searching for a crispy sesame beef recipe — which is currently marinating, since I’m trying some of the sauce with a bit of tofu as a test, more to come as a comment on *that* recipe — and I am SO HAPPY to have found you! I look at each of the recipes you create and it’s like “her thought process is just like mine and it’s spooky!”
So I plan on trying this “Chipotle” chix recipe this week or next, and I wondered how you think chicken breasts would fare? I know thighs are used regularly in so many recipes because of the flavor and tenderness the extra fat adds, but as an eating disorder survivor (battling for 27 years, many of them active) the one stickler I have is to use chicken breasts whenever possible bc I know it’s lean and nutritionally predictable. And in a dish such as this, so much of the flavor comes from the spices anyhow.
That may be TMI for some, but a) I’m sure I’m not the only one with that question, for any number of reasons; and b) mentioning an ED *should* become less taboo and more normalized since 10% of the population struggles with some form of ED.
Thank you for ALL the recipes and extra tips you blog about! I love how you offer interpretations and choices in your narratives, and I just know I’ll be stalking your IG and site first when looking for something new and exciting!
Much love and stay safe! ♥️
Hi Melissa! Thank you so much!! Hope you enjoyed the Sesame Beef, it's so delicious. You can absolutely make this recipe with chicken breasts instead of thighs. I hope you are doing well on your journey! 🙂
This turned out so good! I marinated 2 servings and cooked on the day of in the air fryer. It was really good and a couple days later i cooked the remaining marinated chicken on a frying pan! It’s was a lot more spicy after the couple days of being marinated! The only ingredient i didn’t have was the vinegar! Thanks for the recipe!
This was delicious! Definitely hit the spot for the Chipotle but way better!
Have you frozen the chicken after it was cooked? I’m going camping and would like to cook it ahead of time and just reheat in a cast iron pan.
You sure can, Jenny! Enjoy.
I've made this recipe several times now and it's delicious. I make cilantro rice in the rice cooker and my son and I make bowls and tacos all week long for lunches or quick dinner because I have it all made ahead of time. I do the bake option and after I know the chicken has cooked long enough and at temp, I put it under the broiler for just a couple minutes while in the baking pan. Let it rest and then chop it up and into a Tupperware container..after I make a bowl! Great recipe!! 😋😋😋