Chipotle is a well-known restaurant chain in the USA. However, anyone who wants to try the restaurant’s bowls, tacos, or burritos will have a hard time here in Germany – there are (currently) only two restaurants here, and both of them are in Frankfurt. ;) But that shouldn’t bother you/us too much. With this basic recipe for Chipotle-style Chicken, you have the foundation for many dishes you can get in those restaurants. So you can save yourself the trip to Frankfurt (or the US). Homemade is better anyway! ;P
Chipotle Mexican Grill was founded in 1993 and has since grown into a restaurant chain with over 2,000 restaurants – not only in the US. However, if you think that the first restaurant had anything to do with Mexico… you’re wrong. The first branch of the Mexican fast-casual restaurant chain was not opened in Mexico or a neighboring US state such as Texas, Arizona, California, or New Mexico, but in Denver, Colorado. ;)
Back when I lived in the US (in the late 90s), the number of restaurants was still quite small and limited to Colorado only. The first Chipotle Grill in Florida (where I worked and lived) didn’t open until 10 years after I left the country. For that reason, I didn’t really have the opportunity back then to try the dishes that everyone loves so much now. That only became possible a few years ago in London. Mexican fast food in London. Why not… ;P
Anyway. With the first Chipotle bowl I had, it was clear why everyone likes the food so much. The spicy chicken, seasoned with ancho chili, among other things, is simply delicious. It took some time of research and several tests to find the right recipe for our Chipotle chicken. It’s probably not even close to how the restaurant chain really seasons its chicken, but we think the result is quite similar and really tasty.
There are several ways to give the chicken the desired Chipotle flavor – we opted for the easiest version, which doesn’t require quite as many special spices. There’s no need to make it more difficult than absolutely necessary, right?
Method 1 – dried chili & adobo sauce
The smoky, spicy aroma of Chipotle chicken comes primarily from two ingredients – ancho chili and adobo sauce. Neither of these are widely available in every supermarket. We are lucky to have a store nearby that sells spices and ingredients for cooking from Latin America. If you can’t find a store like this, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for online.
For this first method, dried ancho chilies* are soaked in water for at least 12 hours, then gutted (the seeds are very hot) and pureed in a blender with some sauce from a can of chilies in adobo sauce* plus a few other ingredients to make a spicy marinade. The chicken is then left to marinate for a few hours before being cooked – grilling, frying, or roasting it in the oven are the options here.
Method 2 – Ancho chili powder without adobo sauce
We decided to use a different method for this recipe here – to keep the process simple and less complicated. Instead of soaking dried chilies for a long time, we opted for ancho chili powder*. The advantage should be obvious – it’s much quicker. ;P
Since chilies in adobo sauce* are harder to find and only the sauce from such a can would be used (you have to use the chilies for something else), we try to avoid using that sauce. If we have it at home, we use it – if not, we don’t. Getting a can is sometimes just too exhausting. ;P After some research, we discovered that the sauce can be »replaced« or somewhat »imitated« with a few other (more common) spices. Tomato paste, vinegar, cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika powder do a pretty good job here. The exact amounts you need are listed in the recipe below.
Once the chicken has marinated in the sauce long enough, you just have to decide on how to cook the meat. We recommend a charcoal grill, but not everyone has one at home, of course. If you have a stove in your kitchen you probably have a frying pan. That’s also fine and gets the job done.
We usually prefer to roast the chicken in the oven (as described in the recipe below). This is actually the easiest and cleanest method, we think. If you want to do that too, it’s important to roast the chicken for a while with a layer of baking parchment on top. The baking parchment ensures that the meat does not get too hot and remains juicy. Nobody wants dry chicken. ;)
Once the chicken is cooked through, it can be used in a variety of dishes. As already mentioned, Chipotle offers bowls, tacos, or burritos, for example. All of these dishes can be prepared and »refined« with Chipotle-style Chicken. ;)
We already have a recipe for delicious Chipotle Chicken Wraps on the blog. The marinade is quite similar in that recipe, but instead of chicken thighs we use chicken breast for the wraps. Works just as well. If you prefer to serve the chicken in a bowl, you could simply replace the sautéed chicken breast in our Quinoa Bowl with Hummus with the chipotle chicken. Also a nice combination and a great lunch option.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4 servings)
some olive oil (for roasting/frying)
1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
3Â garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tbsp. ancho chile powder*
1 tsp. smoked paprika powder*
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper*
about 35 oz. (1 kg) chicken thighs (with bones)
(4 Portionen)
etwas Olivenöl (zum Rösten/Anbraten)
1 kleine rote Zwiebel, grob gehackt
3 Knoblauchzehen, grob gehackt
4 EL Wasser
2 EL Tomatenmark
2 EL Olivenöl
1 EL weißer Balsamico-Essig
2 TL Kreuzkümmel, gemahlen
2 TL Oregano
1 1/2 EL Ancho Chili Pulver*
1 TL Smoked Paprika Pulver*
1 TL Salz
1/2 TL schwarzer Pfeffer (frisch gemahlen)
1/2 TL Cayennepfeffer*
etwa 1 kg Hähnchenschenkel (mit Knochen)
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. For the marinade, add the chopped onion, garlic, water, tomato paste, olive oil, vinegar, cumin, oregano, ancho chile powder, smoked paprika powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to a mixer and blend until you get a smooth paste.
2. Clean, wash, and dry the chicken thighs. Add them together with the marinade to a large freezer bag (or an airtight container) and mix until the chicken is evenly coated with the chili sauce. Place in the fridge overnight (max. 48h).
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush a large baking dish with some oil and place the chicken thighs next to each other in the baking dish – ideally they do not touch each other. Cover the chicken with a piece of baking parchment, tucking the paper around the chicken to cover it completely. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the baking parchment and continue baking the chicken for another 10-15 minutes or until the center of the chicken thighs reach a temperature of at least 165°F (74°C) when tested with a thermometer*. Take the chicken out of the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes before removing the meat from the bones and cutting it into small pieces.
4. Use the chicken directly for chipotle chicken bowls, wraps, or in a salad. Leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Note:
+ we recommend using chicken with bones, but you can get boneless chicken thighs as well
+ you can cook/fry the chicken in a frying pan instead of roasting it in the oven – this takes a bit less time, but you have to stay with the chicken all the time. ;P
1. Mit der Marinade starten und dafür die Zwiebel mit Knoblauch, Wasser, Tomatenmark, Olivenöl, Essig, Kreuzkümmel, Oregano, Chili Pulver, Paprikapulver, Salz, Pfeffer und Cayennepfeffer in einen Mixer geben und zu einer glatten Paste pürieren. Wer keinen Mixer hat, kann auch einen großen Mörser verwenden.
2. Die Hähnchenschenkel säubern, waschen und gut trocknen. Die Hähnchenteile mit der Marinade in einen Gefrierbeutel oder einen luftdicht schließenden Behälter geben und alles gut vermengen – das Hähnchen sollte gleichmäßig mit der Marinade bedeckt sein. Über Nacht in den Kühlschrank stellen (max. 48 Stunden).
3. Den Ofen auf 200°C (400°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Eine große Auflaufform mit etwas Öl einpinseln und die Hähnchenschenkel nebeneinander in die Auflaufform legen – idealerweise berühren sie sich nicht. Ein großes Stück Backpapier auflegen und an den Rändern ein wenig nach unten einschlagen, damit das Hähnchen schön eingepackt ist. Die Hähnchenschenkel für etwa 25 Minuten backen, dann das Backpapier entfernen und noch einmal 10-15 Minuten backen/rösten, damit die Oberfläche noch etwas Farbe bekommt. Die Kerntemperatur der Hähnchenschenkel sollte mind. 74°C (165°F) haben – kann man prima mit einem Fleischthermometer* testen. Die Hähnchenteile aus dem Ofen nehmen und etwa 5 Minuten ruhen lassen, dann das Fleisch von den Knochen lösen und in Stücke schneiden.
4. Das Hähnchenfleisch kann jetzt direkt in Chipotle Chicken Bowls, Wraps oder für einen Salat verwendet werden. Reste kann man gut in einem luftdichten Behälter bis zu 2 Tage im Kühlschrank lagern.
Hinweise:
+ Man kann hier auch Hähnchenschenkel ohne Knochen verwenden – macht es etwas einfacher
+ Alternativ kann man das Hähnchen auch in einer Pfanne braten, statt im Ofen zu garen – das geht dann etwas schneller, aber man muss auch die ganze Zeit am Herd stehen. ;P
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Chipotle Style Chicken (Copycat)
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:40
- Total Time: 25h
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Homemade
- Cuisine: International
Description
If you love Chipotle but not live close by a restaurant, you might want to try this basic recipe to recreate their famous chicken for bowls, wraps, and more…
Ingredients
some olive oil (for roasting/frying)
1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
3Â garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tbsp. ancho chile powder*
1 tsp. smoked paprika powder*
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper*
about 35 oz. (1 kg) chicken thighs (with bones)
Instructions
1. For the marinade, add the chopped onion, garlic, water, tomato paste, olive oil, vinegar, cumin, oregano, ancho chile powder, smoked paprika powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to a mixer and blend until you get a smooth paste.
2. Clean, wash, and dry the chicken thighs. Add them together with the marinade to a large freezer bag (or an airtight container) and mix until the chicken is evenly coated with the chili sauce. Place in the fridge overnight (max. 48h).
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Brush a large baking dish with some oil and place the chicken thighs next to each other in the baking dish – ideally they do not touch each other. Cover the chicken with a piece of baking parchment, tucking the paper around the chicken to cover it completely. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the baking parchment and continue baking the chicken for another 10-15 minutes or until the center of the chicken thighs reach a temperature of at least 165°F (74°C) when tested with a thermometer*. Take the chicken out of the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes before removing the meat from the bones and cutting it into small pieces.
4. Use the chicken directly for chipotle chicken bowls, wraps, or in a salad. Leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Notes
+ we recommend using chicken with bones, but you can get boneless chicken thighs as well
+ you can cook/fry the chicken in a frying pan instead of roasting it in the oven – this takes a bit less time, but you have to stay with the chicken all the time. ;P
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