Meal Prep Protein: Copycat Chipotle Chicken
/My search for a delicious, savory chicken meal prep recipe has finally ended. I found this Skillet Chipotle Chicken recipe after realizing how deep my love for a Chipotle chicken burrito bowl runs. Here’s the thing: you must marinate the chicken for at least 8 hours. The original recipe calls for 16 hours for best results, but I usually shoot for about 12 hours. You could blend up the marinade on a Saturday night (you know you’re not busy), and then cook the marinated chicken breasts on Sunday afternoon for maximum flavor. Trust me when I tell you this recipe creates smoky, slightly spicy, savory, juicy chicken breasts that you will want to eat for lunch and dinner every single day.
Here’s how to make it. First, give the ingredients that need it a rough chop - you’re putting everything in a blender, so don’t spend much time on your knife cuts. Then, blend up all the marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor. Cut the chicken breasts in half to make them thinner. This helps them soak up more marinade (= more flavor) and cook quicker. Then you’ll rub the marinade into the chicken, pour it all into a container and cover. Place it in the fridge for ~16 hours or so to let the flavors really soak into the meat.
Note: chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can be found in small cans in the “Hispanic” section of your local grocery store. I haven’t found any big differences between brands, just that some are a little more saucy than others. I will update this recipe if I find a brand that I LOVE.
Copycat Chipotle Chicken
Makes ~4-6 servings
Ingredients
1/2 large red onion, chopped roughly
5 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
2 chipotle peppers in adobo
2 Tbsp. adobo sauce from the chipotle pepper can
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 lime (~2-3 Tbsp. lime juice)
2 Tbsp. oregano
2.5 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. salt
1 cup water
2 lb. chicken breasts, cut in half to make thinner
1 Tbsp. Cooking oil of choice (do not add to marinade)
Directions
Add all ingredients, besides chicken and cooking oil, to a blender. Blend until smooth.
Add chicken and the blended marinade into a container. Combine until all chicken is coated and soaking in the marinade. Cover in an air-tight container for ~16 hours in the refrigerator.
After the chicken has marinated, heat 1/2 Tbsp. cooking oil in a large pan. Add half of the chicken breasts and cook for about 5-6 minutes per side. Remove chicken from skillet after it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. Set cooked chicken aside to rest. Add remaining 1/2 Tbsp. oil to the pan, and repeat the process with the uncooked chicken.
When all the chicken is cooked and has rested for about 10 minutes, chop into bite-sized pieces (like at Chipotle!). I like to toss some of the diced chicken into a pan to heat up each time before I eat it, but microwaves work just fine too.
Recipe adapted from theskinnyishdish.com. Show her some love!
