Where is your favorite place to use your “fun budget” to go eat out? Our family budget allows us to eat out about 2-4 times a month, depending on if it’s a date night, quick stop for Mexican, or a full-on family date. But every once and a while, mama (that’s me!) gets to pick!
I’m not exactly sure why, but I just cannot get enough of Chipotle Mexican Grill! Their fresh and quality ingredients I am sure have something to do with their amazing flavors. The only problem is the price…
It’s easily $10 for one person to order a full meal. So with the need to fill four very hungry mouths, a night out is going to swallow up half of our fun budget real quick! My favorite solution to this problem is to recreate their meals with this outstanding Chipotle Mexican Grill copycat recipe at home.
Today I’m going to share with you a recipe I have been wanting to spotlight for a long time now. I stumbled upon this salad dressing recipe a while ago and couldn’t get over how much it tastes just like the restaurant!
So make sure you save this recipe on your favorite Pinterest board because you are definitely going to be using this one over and over again!
First you are going to want and get your chicken marinating. I love how easy the marinade and dressing are for this recipe.
For both, all you do is combine ingredients in a blender and that’s it! Done!
I like to cook my chicken and veggies out on the grill to give them the extra flavor and really bring the flavors to par to make this an authentic Chipotle copycat recipe. But if you don’t have access to a BBQ, it still will taste great if you cook them on a pan or roast in the oven.
The black beans and rice are just as simple to throw together.
Side note, we used fresh lettuce from our spring garden for dinner tonight! How fun is that?
Now start layering up your salad! Another great thing about this copycat recipe is it works great for a family full of picky eaters! Everyone can make their own bowl the way they like it!
For this copycat recipe I did splurge a little and went out and bought some lime tortilla chips from the grocery store. Making chips at home just sounded like a task I didn’t feel like taking on at the time.
I hope you guys liked this recipe! If you have any questions let me know down in the comments bellow!
Enjoy!
Chipotle Mexican Grill Chicken Marinade
2016-04-18 23:48:52
Ingredients
- ¼ tsp. California chili powder (ancho chili powder also works)
- ½ red onion chopped into small large pieces
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable or olive oil
- ¼-1/2 cup water
- 5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, trimmed
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients through olive oil in a food processor until completely combined.
- Add water a little at a time until you reach the consistency of a thick salad dressing.
- Add marinade to chicken in a sealable plastic bag or a covered bowl and let set for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Cook until over high heat on a bbq until meat reaches an internal temperature 160F degrees. About 5 minutes on each side. (Never eat chicken that hasn’t reached 165F degrees, but when cooking I remove just before it gets to that temperature because the meat will continue to cook a little once removed from heat)
- Remove from heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes before chopping.
- Note: you can cook the meat in a pan over medium heat, or in a 375F degree oven.
Pennies into Pearls https://www.penniesintopearls.com/
Chipotle Mexican Grill Honey Vinaigrette Dressing
2016-04-18 23:50:13
Ingredients
- 6 Tbs red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup honey
- ¾ cup vegetable or olive oil
- ½ tsp dried oregano or ¼ tsp ground oregano
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 small garlic cloves
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender. Make sure to blend well so garlic gets chopped up very well.
- Store in an air tight container in the fridge.
Pennies into Pearls https://www.penniesintopearls.com/
Grilled Veggies
2016-04-18 23:51:11
Ingredients
- ¼ tsp ground oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- ¼ cup oil
- 2 green bell peppers, sliced
- ½ red onion, sliced
Instructions
- In a large bowl or Ziploc bag combine all ingredients, stir or shake to coat vegetables in seasoning.
- Over high heat on a grill, using a grilling basket, sauté vegetables for 2-4 minutes. Just until tender.
Pennies into Pearls https://www.penniesintopearls.com/
Lime Black Beans
2016-04-18 23:51:56
Ingredients
- 15 oz. black beans
- 1 Tbs lime juice
- ½ cup tomato sauce
Instructions
- Remove a little of the juices from the black beans.
- Then combine all remaining ingredients in a medium sized pot over medium heat.
- Stir and cook until beans are hot.
Pennies into Pearls https://www.penniesintopearls.com/
Cilantro Lime Rice
2016-04-18 23:52:33
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ bunch of cilantro, chopped
- 2 limes, juiced
Instructions
- Cook rice according to rice package directions using the water and chicken broth.
- Once rice is finished cooking, using a fork, fluff the rice while adding in the cilantro and lime juice.
Pennies into Pearls https://www.penniesintopearls.com/
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About Brittany Cooper
My name is Brittany and I am devoted to saving our family money in everything we do. Yes I do coupon but that is not the only frugal thing I do. I'm a bargain hunter, tester of all things DIY, trip planner, our family’s chef, and lover of all things chic. I may be obsessed with being frugal but I still love to add bits of beauty to our home. Decorating on pennies works, it just takes a little patience. I am a firm believer that with a bit of planning you can save your family a lot of money.
