spicing things up

Both my husband and I enjoy a good "burrito bol" from Chipotle.

One night, while cruising the internet, I decided to see if there was a knock-off recipe that we could try at home. Always one to save a little money (and do things myself!), I was happy to find a really good one that I adapted to our liking. While it isn't exactly the same, our modified recipe uses ingredients that are easier to find at the grocery store (or so says my husband who does all the shopping) and tastes really similar!

Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think!

For the Marinade:

1 small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon of black pepper
2 teaspoons of cumin
2 teaspoons of dry oregano
6 cloves of garlic
1/2 of a red onion
1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Combine all marinade ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until well combined. Pour into a large plastic zip-lock bag, add chicken (we use 2-3 breasts which yields one dinner's worth and some left overs), and marinate in the refrigerator overnight ...

It will look a little something like this:


Cook the chicken.

In the summer, we use our grill ... But on cold, wintery nights, the griddle pan works just as well!

You can almost hear the sizzle!


Cook the rice (we double the following recipe ... We like our rice).

Cilantro-lime Rice:

1 teaspoon of butter
2/3 cup of white rice (NOT instant)
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 lime
2 teaspoons of fresh cilantro, chopped

Begin by heating the butter in a medium sized pot until it is melted. Then add the rice and lime and stir about a minute. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the rice has absorbed all the water, about 15-20 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally to prevent sticking and scorching.

As the chicken and rice are cooking, prepare the toppings ... We typically rinse and heat a can of black beans, pull out some shredded cheese (Mexican blend), fresh tomato salsa or Picante sauce, lettuce, and sour cream. We've also mashed up some avocados for guacamole in the past ... Basically, it's up to you and what you like on your "burrito bol!"


Eat and enjoy ... It makes me hungry just looking at it again!

Side note: Even babies like "fake Chipotle burrito bols" for dinner ... Malcolm is a big fan of the rice and black beans (and the chicken that hasn't come into contact with too much spice)!