Cooking with Janie: Make it at Home Chipotle Recipe

Chipotle is one of the cheapest places I have found that I can easily eat gluten free and fairly healthy on the go. Granted it's not certified GF, but it's better than a bun-less burger from McDonald's :) Even though my hubby and I can eat Chipotle for about $16, eating out adds up and really cuts into our monthly budget. If I think about it eating the chicken n' rice goodness twice a week can cost up to $200 a month! For a frugalista, that's 2 1/2 weeks of groceries... or more than my cell phone bill! Yikes!

So to cut back, I started cooking my own version of the chicken rice bowl that is mouth-watering-goodness on a plate, lol. It's surprisingly simple and completely customizable (just like Chipotle!).

First off, I make my shredded crock pot chicken. I have 2 versions I make on a regular basis - this is the spicy one I use in fajitas, tacos, chili, etc. This will make lots of extra chicken, but it freezes great and will give you at least 2-3 extra meals that you can thaw later in the week! If you want to cut this recipe down for just this meal, you really only need 1 lb of chicken. Adjust the rest accordingly :)

Here's what you'll need:

Shredded Chicken:

3 lbs chicken breast, boneless, skinless (this is a regular frozen bag from Fry's, WinCo, etc.)
1 Bell pepper - your choice of color
1 Tomato, roma or small
1 Can Chicken Broth
1 Pkg. Taco Seasoning (or half - depending on preference)
 

1. Place chicken in crock pot. Cover with seasoning and broth.
2. Dice bell pepper and tomato. Add to crock pot.
3. Cook on high for 3 - 5 hours or until chicken easily "flakes" apart with a fork.
4. Divide out. Set aside 1/3 or 1/4 for this Chipotle recipe.

As you can see, once the chicken is done, the broth fully absorbs and I'll say it really makes the flavor savory.

Once the chicken is done, or you pull it out of your freezer like I did (lol) start the rice.

Steamed Rice:

We love to use brown rice in a lot of our dishes. I simply steamed 2 cups rice in a rice cooker and let it cook while I prepped everything else. You can add a splash of lime juice and chopped cilantro during this step (optional). 

Next we'll tackle the salsa. It's easy to get a store bought salsa that's similar to the ones at Chipotle... unless you love the sweet corn salsa. Here's my easy recipe:

Sweet Corn Salsa:

1 Can Sweet Corn, drained
1 Tomato, roma diced OR 1 Can diced tomato, drained
2 Tbs, can, diced green chili
1/4 Onion, your choice color, diced (optional)

1. Mix / toss all ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Put it all together:

A few last "layers" and ingredients...

1 Can of beans (pinto or black), heated.

Sour Cream

Shredded Cheese

Lettuce, chopped

Now that it's all prepared, it's time to layer your rice "bowl" and enjoy! If you love Chipotle's burritos and tacos, the ingredients are the same. Just add a flour or corn tortilla :)