Chipotle Chicken (Copycat)

Meggan Hill

• Updated

5 from 1438 votes

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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.

Chipotle chicken in a white serving bowl.


 

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:

Ingredients for Chipotle chicken in various bowls.

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.

  1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a food processor or blender.
  2. Blend until smooth, then transfer to a plastic bag or covered container.
  3. Add the chicken, mash around to distribute, and let marinade for 30 minutes.
Chipotle Chicken marinading in a plastic zipper bag.

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:

  1. Buy Ancho Chile powder – Depending on how much you want to buy, we recommend McCormick Gourmet Ancho Chile Pepper and Amazing Ancho Chile Powder.
  2. Make your own Ancho Chile powder
  3. 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).
Ancho chile powder dumped out of a glass jar onto a counter.

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:

  1. Stove-top skillet (indoor, similar to Chipotle’s method)
    Chipotle chicken cooking in a black skillet.
  2. Gas grill (outdoor, minimal cleanup)
  3. Baked in the oven (cover with parchment paper for juicy chicken every time)
Photo collage of three photos, the right in the upper right hand corner is the seasoned chicken covered in parchment paper, below is a seasoned sliced chicken breast, and the upper left are three seasoned chicken breasts in a white baking dish.

Slice or dice and use for burritos, tacos, bowls, salads, everything!

A Chipotle burrito bowl in a white bowl.

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:

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Chipotle chicken in a white serving bowl.

Chipotle Copycat Chicken

By Meggan Hill
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. 
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinate Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
Calories 326
5 from 1438 votes
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Equipment

Ingredients 

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:
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
You can use either Italian or Mexican oregano. They have different flavors (Mexican oregano tastes more like marjoram) but both taste great in this recipe. Feel free to use whatever you have.
Adobo sauce: You can get adobo sauce from cans of Chipotle peppers (I recommend La Costeña) or you can purchase a jar of just adobo paste (La Costeña makes one). Substitute about 3 Tbsp. of paste + 1 Tbsp. water.
Rice Bran oil: Chipotle uses Rice Bran oil in all of their products. Olive oil is more widely available (probably already in your pantry) and works equally well, especially if it has a neutral taste.

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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5 from 1438 votes (1,271 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Hi Meggan, 

    Thank you so much for the detailed info, this helped me so much! I thought I’d pass along that the first time I made this I used the adobo sauce from a can and it turned out fine but for my second run I used a bottled sauce (no need to dirty a strainer or waste peppers – yay!) and I found the flavor to be spot on! The kind I used was the Badia Chipotle Mild Sauce (beware, there’s nothing mild about it – it has quite a kick), I found it right in my grocery store’s ethnic aisle. 5 stars

    Reply

    1. Amy!!! You rock my world. I have been wondering all this time, is ever possible to buy JUST adobo sauce? For some reason I thought this was not possible. I would much rather buy just bottled adobo sauce… I use it all the time! It goes in the Chipotle Copycat salad recipe I’m posting soon, but just 1 Tablespoon, and today I found myself opening a can of chipotle peppers just to get that 1 tablespoon. I put the rest in the freezer until I make the marinade again, but having a bottle of adobo sauce is obviously the answer. Thank you so much for this tip and for the brand name. I will track this down and try it out and add the info to my post (with credit to you, Amy, of course!)! GENIUS!!!

  2. Hello Meggan.

    I’m hosting a picnic this weekend and cooking for 35 adults, I’m planning on cooking 8 pounds of chicken, I have several questions for you, If I add chipotle peppers in adobo sauce with seeds will my chicken be super spicy? we enjoy spicy food, Can I marinate chicken for more than a day? finally I’m planning on cooking boneless chicken breasts for this can I sear in the grill pan and cook in oven? Should I line the pan with parchment paper or oil bottom of  the pan and only cover the top of the pan? Thanks so much!!!

    Reply

    1. I have never added the seeds to my marinade, but yes it would definitely make it spicier. I am not sure HOW spicy, though. It’s hard to quantify spiciness. If you have ever cooked with chipotle peppers, you might have a better handle on what you enjoy. You can marinate the chicken for more than a day, yes. I have marinaded it for 2 days myself. As for your cooking method, I haven’t tried it but I am sure it would work just fine. I would oil the bottom of the pan (it might not even be necessary because there is oil in the marinade, so I don’t think the chicken would stick). The parchment paper just goes over the top of the chicken, not on both the top and the bottom. Did I forget anything? I hope not!!! Thank you and good luck!

  3. I’m really excited to try this! I just ordered my ancho chiles from amazon!

    Do you soak them in the fridge? Or do you just leave the bowl on the counter overnight?

    Reply

    1. Hi Jason, I’m so excited FOR you! 🙂 I do not soak them overnight in the fridge, I just leave them on the counter at room temperature. I have never had any issues. Good luck!

  4. Hi Meggan,
    Thanks for the recipe! It looks perfect for me! I am going to try to make different freezer meals to start bringing to work. Sooo tired of sandwiches!!! Lol. I can get a bunch of lunches out of this recipe 🙂
    Appreciated!
    Leigh5 stars

    Reply

    1. Hi Leigh, yeah you can! That’s a whole lot of burrito bowls, or tacos, or quesadillas, or sandwiches, or whatever you want to do! Even with juice rice and veggies it’s spectacular, flavoring the whole thing. It’s incredibly popular around my house. 🙂

  5. You said “2 T. of salt”, did you mean tablespoons or teaspoons? I did two tablespoons, and the marinade was super salty. However, once I marinated the chicken and grilled it, the chicken tasted fantastic. 5 stars

    Reply

    1. Hi Jonathan, I did mean 2 Tablespoons. And I would say the same thing as you – the marinade tastes super salty, but the final chicken does not. It sounds like a lot of salt, but when you remember that 2 tablespoons is supposed to season 10 pounds of chicken total, it sounds slightly less crazy… I think. Glad you liked it!!

  6. Yes! Excellent! Really delicious! Thank you so much for this!

    I only had a couple of ancho chilies on hand, so I substituted mulatto chilies to weight. I’m not sure how this compares to anchos only, but the flavour I came out with is great. I’ve also seared my first batch in a cast iron pan with a lodge grill press to very fine effect, but it was super messy so I’ll be grilling the rest outside. Mmm, love that Maillard browning!

    FYI: I couldn’t wait two days to taste this chicken, so I used a technique I picked up from another recipe to soften those chilies up in a fraction of the time: I stemmed and seeded and then toasted them all in a dry pan, stirring frequently until fragrant but not smoking, about five minutes, and then microwaved them in a quart of water and two additional tablespoons of adobo sauce for about 6 minutes to soften them. I then used about a quarter cup of that water to rinse the sauce from the chipotle chilis into the food processor to maximize flavour. Feel free to give this procedure a try and report back—it shaved 12 hours off the wait!5 stars

    Reply

    1. Ryan, thank you so much for your amazing comment! You are adding value here left and right. 🙂 So first, I’ve never had a mulatto chile but I will definitely see if I can find them! If only for “research” purposes and also because I’m curious. And thank you a million times over for your super-soak technique. I am definitely going to be testing that out so I can add it to my post. That is perhaps the last stone unturned for me, beating the soaking time on those chiles. That’s awesome! Thank you so much! I can’t wait to try it out. I will comment again and let you know when that happens!

  7. These recipes are fantastic!!! We just made this amazing chipotle chicken, cilantro lime rice, slow cooker black beans, peppers and onions, and guacamole. It was so very close to chipotle, almost better!! (Because we have leftovers for tonight!!). Thank you for sharing these recipes with us. We love chipotle and are so thrilled to be able to recreate our favorite foods at home.5 stars

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Rachele! I really appreciate your support and I’m so glad the recipes are a hit in your household.

  8. Would the chicken retain the same flavor if I cooked the marinated chicken in the Crock Pot or would I have to grill them? I’m a cooking novice but I’d like to make Chipotle burritos for my boyfriend’s birthday. 🙂

    Reply

  9. I am a weightlifter and a Chipotle ADDICT. Thank you so, so much for this recipe. It is delicious and very easy to follow for a not-so-great cook like myself lol5 stars

    Reply

  10. This is so good! My whole family loved it – even the picky 13 year old! It tastes so much like the real thing. I’m going to try dicing the chicken prior to marinating next time and see how that goes. I used the ancho chili powder and it worked just fine. It takes some time and can be messy – but totally worth it! The cilantro lime rice recipe is also amazing. Thanks for sharing this – now I need a good recipe for their hot salsa! 🙂5 stars

    Reply