Chicken Burrito Bowl
Updated Dec 12, 2025
Chipotle-inspired, this Chicken Burrito Bowl served over Cilantro Lime Rice, has 52g of protein and all the flavor! It's great for meal prep!
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Better than Chipotle!
This chicken burrito bowl recipe is one of my favorite meals when I’m craving a burrito but want something a little lighter. Inspired by the popular Chipotle chicken burrito bowl, I’ve packed my bowl with protein from black beans and chicken, and fiber from corn and avocado.
It’s also loaded with flavor from the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce and it’s so easy to customize based on whatever leftovers you have in your fridge or toppings you want to add! I also love prepping the parts and enjoying it throughout the week for lunches!
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Chicken Burrito Bowl Ingredients
- Chicken: I like chicken breast for ease, but you could use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, too. Cut them into cubes or strips so it’s easy to eat.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo: This add so much flavor, but leave it out if you don’t want the spice factor.
- Seasoning: I use garlic powder and salt to season the chicken, but you can also use my taco seasoning.
- Oil: For cooking the chicken, you can use olive oil or avocado oil.
- White rice: I like long-grain white rice, but you could use brown rice, too. Whatever you use, make sue it’s rinsed well before cooking. If you use brown rice, it will take longer to cook. Go by what is on the package.
- Cilantro: If you are not a fan of cilantro, use parsley instead, or leave it out.
- Lime juice & Zest: You’ll use this for the cilantrol lime rice but also for flavoring the chicken breast.
- Toppings: You can really have fun with the toppings. I like to use romaine lettuce, chopped tomatoes, avocado or guacamole, black beans, corn, raw red onions or pickled red onions in this bowl.
How to Make Chicken Burrito Bowls
Chicken Burrito Protein Bowl
Chipotle-inspired, this Chicken Burrito Bowl served over Cilantro Lime Rice, has 52g of protein and all the flavor! It's great for meal prep!
Video
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce finely chopped, plus 1 ½ tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ pounds chicken breast cut into strips
For the cilantro lime rice
- 1 cup long-grain white rice rinsed
- 1 ½ cups water
- ¼ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1 lime zested plus 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
To assemble
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup tomatoes diced
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans rinsed and drained
- ½ small red onion chopped
- Guacamole or diced avocado
Instructions
- To make the chicken, stir together oil, lime juice, chopped chilies, adobo sauce, garlic powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade, and add to pan. Cook, stirring, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- To make the rice, add salt and rice to a pot of boiling water. Return to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork, then toss in lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, and additional salt to taste.
- To assemble, arrange rice and lettuce in the bottom of a serving bowl and top with the chicken, diced tomatoes, diced avocados, corn, black beans and red onions.
Notes
Storage: Cooked rice and cooked chicken will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. To freeze the rice or chicken for longer storage, cool it, then portion it into 1 to 2 cup portions in freezer-safe bags. Flatten bags, then freeze. Will keep for up to one month in the freezer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bowl, Calories: 597kcal, Carbohydrates: 63g, Protein: 45g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 109mg, Sodium: 809mg, Potassium: 1592mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 14149IU, Vitamin C: 31mg, Calcium: 100mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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Recipe Variations
- Use a different protein. Grilled shrimp or ground beef taco meat work great too. Make them meat-free by using my tofu taco recipe.
- Make it a salad. If you are not in the mood for rice, you can quickly turn this into a salad by leaving out the rice and increasing the amount of lettuce.
Recipe Tips
- Marinate the chicken for up to 24 hours. If you have the time, marinating the chicken for a longer period of time will result in more flavorful meat.
- Make it for meal prep.I recommend storing the components of the dish separately. This will help to keep everything fresh. Keep toppings off until right before serving. To reheat these bowls, simply microwave them until they are warm throughout. You can also reheat them in a skillet over medium heat if you prefer.
Serving Ideas
- Serve with a different rice base: Basmati Rice or Brown Rice or try these low carb “rice” options: Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice or Broccoli Rice if you are looking to cut back on carbs.
- With chips: Pita Chips, Sweet Potato Chips or Oven Baked Potato Chips
- With salsa: Tomato Salsa, Corn Salsa, Black Bean Salsa, Peach Salsa
Comments
I tripled the recipe and made this for my family of adult kids, spouses and children. Everyone loved it!! I made it exactly as written, marinating the chicken for about 4 hours. It has a bit of spice but still mild. It will be a family favorite!!
Love that it was a hit with the whole family! So glad you found a new go-to favorite to share with everyone!
Easy recipe, the chicken (used tenderloins) was especially tasty. Next time I make this though I shall make some sort of sauce to accompany it as I felt it was a little on the dry side for me.
Glad you thought it was tasty! You could make a creamy chipotle sauce with the leftover adobo peppers, or make a simple sauce of plain Greek yogurt, lime juice, chili powder, and a bit of taco seasoning!
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