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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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This recipe works great. I followed the marinade, using 1/2 the red onion called for, but all other items exactly as noted. I pounded the chicken to about 3/4″ thick to facilitate the grilling on the gas grill.
This recipe tastes exactly like Chipotle! I made a big batch and ate it for a couple of days, it was even better after sitting in the fridge. Thank you!
Hi Chef Hill,
Thank you for this recipe! I made this and really liked it. I grilled the chicken on high heat (on a gas grill) to sear and get that charring (several minutes each side), then diced it into similar sized chunks as the restaurant and finished in a large pan on medium-high. Then transferred to a large bowl and mixed in a little of the adobo sauce to give it a little extra kick. However, I was tying to replicate the Chipotle Mexican Grill taste. You’re right about the onion–definitely a departure from the Chipotle Mexican Grill taste. Next time, I’m going to remove the onion.
I tried this after wanting to eat chipotle twice in one day. It was excellent!
I didn’t have the apple cider vinegar so I swapped for white vinegar. I marinated for about an hour and the chicken was so juicy. I made my own chipotle bowls rice beans chicken fajitas sour cream and cheese. I will definitely use this recipe again!
Where does it say to use apple cider vinegar lol
Andrew,
Apple cider vinegar is listed under substitutions.
Made this tonight on my indoor smokeless grill using a griddle plate. Came out perfectly and made enough for 2 meals! Thank you!
Love this recipe! We have been staying at home due to Covid-19 and it helps to be able to make some of our favorite foods at home. Thanks much!
Just want to thank you so very much for all you Chipotle copycat recipes!! We made them last night they were outstanding!! Everyone said they were better than Chipotle. I had no idea food this good could be made at home!! They only thing we changed was we used a 1/8 of a red onion in the marinade my son can’t stand onions. Thank you so very much!
Excellent and easy. Marinated chicken approximately 4 hrs and had plenty of flavor. Not spicy at all. Next time I will increase the amount of adobo and add in a few of the chipotle peppers. I have some of the leftover marinade that I will try on some flank steak tonight. Should be great.
I made this recipe last night. What great flavor! I didn’t have any ancho chilies but it was yummy all the same. I marinated the chicken for a couple of hours before cooking it on the stovetop.
Hi Lexi, I’m glad you liked it! You’ll have to try it with the ancho chiles next time! 😉 -Meggan
This was AMAZING! I am doing Whole30 and omitted adobo sauce from a small can of Chipotle peppers because I couldn’t find a compliant brand (and sometimes the spiciness really hits my acid reflux). This recipe was INCREDIBLE. My husband and I had the chicken with your Copycat Fajita Veggies and Guacamole on lettuce. We made enough for the whole week! This is so delicious AND healthy! Thank you!!!!
This is GREAT news. Glad you loved it! Thank you so much!! 🙂 -Meggan
Hi Anna, that’s really great! I’m so happy to hear all of this! I do the Whole30 too, it’s such a nice “reset.” I wanted to pass along one of my other favorite Whole30 recipes in case you need ideas. I apologize for the self-promotion and you can just ignore me. But I have this GREAT sweet potato hash, you just have to find Whole30 bacon for it. It’s so good, I love it, I make it all the time (not just when I’m doing a Whole30). Good luck to you! -Meggan
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