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Skip the restaurant and make your own copycat Chipotle Chicken recipe at home. The marinade is quick, easy, healthy, and tastes even better than the real thing! Make white meat or dark meat and follow my instructions for either baking or grilling.
The perfection of Chipotle Mexican Grill, made even more perfect because you get to eat it in the comfort of your own home, whenever you want it.
Chipotle Chicken is tender and juicy, packed with flavor, and perfect on everything. And whether you want to grill it, sauté it, or bake it in the oven, I’ve got all your options covered!
Chipotle Chicken Ingredients:
Chipotle does not use red onion in their marinade. However, the recipe tastes better with it, so it comes down to this philosophical question: Do I post the recipe that tastes closest to Chipotle’s recipe, or do I post the recipe that tastes the best? I kept the onion.
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a food processor or blender.
- Blend until smooth, then transfer to a plastic bag or covered container.
- Add the chicken, mash around to distribute, and let marinade for 30 minutes.
How to Make Chipotle Chicken Marinade
That smoky, spicy flavor in Chipotle’s chicken comes from two primary ingredients: Dried ancho chiles and adobo sauce.
To create this flavor, you can:
- Buy Ancho Chile powder – Depending on how much you want to buy, we recommend McCormick Gourmet Ancho Chile Pepper and Amazing Ancho Chile Powder.
- Make your own Ancho Chile powder
- Soak Dried ancho chiles (I recommend Olé Rico Dried Ancho Chiles)
Marinade Method 1: Using Ancho Chile Powder
Ancho Chile Pepper powder is available to purchase, or you can make your own.
- ¼ cup of the powder is equivalent to 2 oz. of the peppers (stems and seeds removed, ground up).
Marinade Method 2: Soaking Dried Ancho Chiles
- Slow-Soaking the dried ancho chiles takes at least 12 hours. Once the chiles are soft, I like to open them up, remove the stems, and rinse out the seeds (I recommend using kitchen or latex gloves). For additional heat, add in seeds from the chipotle peppers.
- Quick-Soaking shaves 12 hours off this recipe. You toast the dried chiles in a skillet and microwave them in water. It works perfectly!
What is a substitute for adobo sauce?
Whisk together:
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (or ½ teaspoon each smoked paprika and cayenne powder)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Pinch EACH of oregano, garlic powder, and salt
How to make Chipotle Chicken
If you’ve ever been to the restaurant, you know Chipotle grills their boneless, skinless chicken thighs on a flat-top grill.
Here are your cooking options at home:
- Stove-top skillet (indoor, similar to Chipotle’s method)
- Gas grill (outdoor, minimal cleanup)
- Baked in the oven (cover with parchment paper for juicy chicken every time)
Slice or dice and use for burritos, tacos, bowls, salads, everything!
Chipotle Chicken Recipe FAQs
What can I do with my leftover Chipotle peppers and/or adobo sauce?
Transfer to a bag and freeze for future use, or use in:
- Chicken Tinga
- Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
- Chipotle Barbacoa (copycat)
- Chipotle Steak (copycat)
- Chipotle Sofritas (tofu)
- Chipotle honey vinaigrette (copycat)
- Chipotle black beans (copycat)
- Chipotle pinto beans (copycat)
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Chipotle Copycat Chicken
Skip the restaurant and make your own copycat Chipotle Chicken recipe at home. The marinade is quick, easy, healthy, and tastes even better than the real thing! Make white meat or dark meat and follow my instructions for either baking or grilling.
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium red onion coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder or 1 ounce dried ancho chiles, soaked (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or rice bran oil, plus more for the cooking surface (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano (see notes)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
Instructions
To make the marinade (see recipe notes for dried chiles method):
- To the bowl of a food processor or blender, add red onion, garlic, adobo sauce, ancho chile powder, olive oil, cumin, dried oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Blend until smooth. Pour into a measuring cup and add water to reach 1 cup.
- Place the chicken in a large freezer-safe plastic bag. Pour in marinade, close the bag, and mash until chicken is evenly coated. Place the plastic bag in a dish and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.
To make the chicken on the stove:
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add chicken to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, until the temperature reaches 165 degrees on an internal thermometer. Depending on the size of your skillet, you can cook the chicken in batches.
- Remove to a cutting board and tent with foil for 10 minutes. Chop into small pieces. Season to taste with salt. Serve on tortillas or in bowls with additional toppings as desired.
To make the chicken on the grill:
- Preheat over medium-high heat. Coat with 2 tablespoons oil. Grill the chicken in batches, turning occasionally until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees on a thermometer and bits of caramelized fond have begun to cling to the outside of the chicken, 10 to 15 minutes. Add 1 – 2 tablespoons oil to your grilling surface between batches.
- Remove to a cutting board and tent with foil for 10 minutes. Chop into small pieces. Season to taste with salt. Serve on tortillas or in bowls with additional toppings as desired.
To bake the chicken in the oven (preferred method for white meat):
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking dish with oil or nonstick spray and arrange chicken in a single layer. Cover with parchment paper, tucking the paper around the chicken so it is completely covered. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165 degrees when tested with an internal thermometer.
- Remove to a cutting board and tent with foil for 10 minutes. Chop into small pieces. Season to taste with salt. Serve on tortillas or in bowls with additional toppings as desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
To make the marinade with dried ancho chiles:
- Quick-Soaking method for ancho chiles: Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles (wearing gloves is recommended). In a dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast the chiles until fragrant but not smoking, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and add 4 c. (1 quart) water and 2 Tbsp. adobo sauce. Microwave on HIGH for 6 minutes. Drain well.
- Slow-Soaking method for ancho chiles: Place in a bowl and add enough water to cover completely. Top with a small plate or bowl to weigh down the chiles so they are completely submerged. Soak at least 12 hours or overnight. Drain well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 servingCalories: 326kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 44gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 215mgSodium: 1008mgPotassium: 633mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 672IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 3mg
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Wow! That is the ultimate comfort food. I haven’t had chipotle chicken in a long time. I think I’ll be making this soon. My heart goes out to you. Thanks!
Hello Megan! Thank you so much for this. I had a quick question-
I’m having a Chipotle Bar Party tomorrow, and I wanted to see- could this recipe be made in a crock pot and be adapted to make chipotle flavored shredded chicken?
Could I just throw everything in the crock pot with some broth and shred it or would you have any other suggestions on modifying it?
Thank you!
Hi Rabia, I’m so sorry I didn’t reply to you in time. The answer is, you can definitely make it in a crockpot and shred it. Did you try it, or did you plan something else because I never replied? So sorry about that. I’ve made it in a crockpot before and it works really well. I hope your party was a success! Thanks!
This recipe is best!! I love Chipotle and this recipe right here taste just like their chicken. This makes me soo happy!
I made the chicken along with the guacamole and cilantro lime rice. Followed the recipe and marinated the chicken over night. Then the next day, my husband threw it on the grill. It was absolutely delicious, juicy and filled with flavor! Can’t wait to make this again.
Thank you for sharing this recipe along with the rest. You’re amazing!!
Do you have any recipes that use those leftover chipolte peppers that were in the adobe sauce. I hate to toss them but don’t want a bunch of lost peppers in my freezer.
Can I just use a Chipotle pepper or two from the can with adobo sauce instead of dealing with finding ancho in my small town?
Hi Josh, yes absolutely! You can do whatever you want. The recipe will still taste great. And I know what you mean, I live in Southern California and sometimes those anchos just aren’t around like you’d expect them to be! Proceed. And you’ve played with chipotle peppers before right? So you know they are really spicy? Okay good. 😀
I added about 1/2 cup cos the marinade only made half a cup. Is that too much water? I cooked the chicken in the skillet, but the meat was really thick. I’m going to try to cut the chicken meat into thinner pieces. Not giving up on this marinade yet.
Tried this today, marinated the chicken for 4 hrs and it didn’t have any flavor and the chicken was dry. What am I doing wrong? Will the thickness of the chicken breast matter? Does adding water as mentioned in the steps dilute the flavor of the marinade? Was really hoping to like this recipe.
Hi Gretchen, how much water did you add? And did you cover the chicken with parchment paper as directed? The thickness of the chicken breast could matter if you did not adjust your baking time based on it. So for example if you were cooking chicken breast cutlets, they would cook much quicker and potentially get tough and rubbery. However, the parchment should help prevent them from drying out.
Hi Megan,
Quick question. I am making this recipe for a large amount of people (50) and was wondering if it will make a different if I were to marinate and bake the chicken breast as cut up pieces or will that just ruin it all.
Thanks!
Rabiya
Hi Rabiya! You make me laugh! You can definitely bake it, you’ll be fine. Cover the chicken with a piece of parchment paper while you back it so the moisture is trapped and the chicken stays juicy. You’ll be just fine! It’s going to taste amazing! Please note 4 pounds of chicken will serve 8 people. My recipe was wrong, it said 4 pounds of chicken served 20 people (obviously that’s crazy). I just fixed it. Sorry for the confusion. Please let me know if you need anything else!
Thank you for this recipe. It looks absolutely delicious.
I am just wondering:
How does a 4 oz serving have 20 g of fat?
Chicken (16 g fat x 4 lb = 64 g)
Olive oil (14 g fat x 4 tbsp = 56 g)
Total fat, approximately, is 120 g. Divide that by 20, and a 4 oz serving should have about 7 g of fat.
I am trying to monitor my macronutrients, and I want to make sure I am not missing something. Thank you again.
Hi Rebecca, I’m so sorry for all of the confusion here! First, I use a 3rd-party nutrition label generator which access a nutrition info API, the same as sites like MyFitnessPal use. So that’s one thing. The 2nd thing is, the nutrition label was generating completely inaccurate so I’m REALLY glad you pointed this out to me. For one thing, it was using 5 pounds of chicken WITH SKIN, but the chicken should be boneless skinless. Also, the recipe is not for 20 servings. It used to be (I used to have the recipe make 10 pounds of chicken) but I scaled it down to 4 pounds of chicken, so now it serves 8. So an entirely new label is on the site. If you feel like taking a look, I hope you are much more satisfied with what you find! The last one was a total disaster. So sorry about that.
Oh, thank makes sense. Thank you, Meggan! You are awesome!
I tried this recipe and it’s great. I have a question though. Why no vinegar. On Chipotles site vinegar is one of the ingredients for the chipotle chicken.
That’s fascinating! They changed their recipe. I swear I’m not making this up – I live and die by their ingredient list. It’s how I formulate all of the Chipotle copycat recipes on my site. So they must have added it at some point within the last 6 months. They also used to have red onion in their recipe but don’t anymore. I appreciate you pointing this out! I can definitely try adding it. I’m guessing it’s a really small amount since it’s the last ingredient in the list, but still. I’m curious to know how it affects the marinade. Thanks Nick! Sorry for the confusion.
Yeah it also contains no chili powder. https://www.chipotle.com/ingredient-statement
The ancho chile powder is basically simulating the flavor of the dried Chipotle chiles you see pictured in their ingredient list. It’s the same thing – they are showing it without the adobo sauce. However, I have friends that work there and the marinade shows up in a bag and they can’t even say for sure what’s in it. I have tried making the chicken with just chipotles in adobo, without the ancho chile powder, and I don’t think it tastes quite right. However, I should probably try making it with the adobo and see how it tastes.
No problem. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I’m going to try your others!