Make your own healthy, gluten free and paleo-friendly Chipotle Burrito Bowl at home with this quick and easy, 30 minute recipe! It’s perfect for busy weeknights and under 450 calories!
Welcome to this week’s episode of healthy-trendy-yummy food for your face!
Who else is loving bowl food trend? I have recently whipped up some Vegan smoothie bowls, Fish Tacos Bowls, even Cauliflower Alfredo “Lox Bagel” Breakfast Bowls. There’s all kinds of bowls out there. And all the cool kids are doing them. But my favorite remains this Chipotle chicken burrito bowl copycat.
I have to confess Mexican food is one of my favorite cuisines and Chipotle is hands down one of my favorite food chains because who doesn’t love a semi healthy Mexican meal? I usually go for a burrito but when I want a healthier option and remove the excess calories from the tortilla, I usually go for the Chipotle burrito bowl, with chicken (or even sofritas), cilantro rice and delicious fajita veggies. So I decided to create a copycat Chipotle burrito bowl and it might just be my favorite quick and easy recipe!
Why You Will Love This Recipe?
- Quick and easy to make
- Dairy Free
- Healthy and will keep you filled up
- Easy to customize and make vegetarian
- Balanced meal with healthy fats, protein and fibre
- Delicious
What is a burrito bowl at chipotle?
A Chipotle burrito bowl is basically all the fillings of a burrito in a bowl instead of wrapped in a tortilla. Many people choose this option to often remove the excess calories of a tortilla from their meal. It is also a great option for people who want to avoid eating Gluten. You can change the fillings just as you would in your burrito with your preferred meat, veggies, salsa etc.
Is the Chipotle Burrito bowl healthy?
Although Chipotle is considered a fast food chain, it is often considered a healthy option because you can customize your meal with healthier ingredients. In addition, they claim to make food fresh every day, using fresh ingredients with no artificial additives. The chipotle bowl does not contain a tortilla which is very high in carbs and you can instead fill the bowl with protein, rice, beans and other veggies of your choice etc. to make it a much healthier option than a standard burrito.
How many calories are there in a chipotle burrito bowl?
A chipotle burrito bowl calorie count can range anywhere from 400 to 1000 calories depending on the ingredients you choose. If you add rice, guacamole and cheese, the calories of the bowl will increase more towards the thousand.
When I want to watch my carbs, I order a chicken burrito bowl with guacamole, romaine lettuce, fresh tomato salsa, sour cream and no rice. It adds up to a lovely 440 calories and 5g of net carbs.
Otherwise, my go-to chicken burrito bowl has brown rice, guacamole, romaine lettuce, corn, fresh tomato salsa and sour cream. It feels heavier on the scale with 760 calories and 41g of net carbs, but it is so YUMMY!
Tip for making the Chipotle burrito bowl healthier
- Olive Oil – Instead of using sunflower oil or butter, use olive oil or olive oil spray to cook the chicken. This will keep the calories low.
- Cauliflower Rice – Instead of using regular cilantro white or brown rice, a great healthier alternative is cauliflower rice. It is delicious and has no carbs making it very healthy.
- Guacamole – If you want a dairy free and healthier option you can remove the traditional topping of sour cream and cheese and add guacamole instead to make it healthier.
- Sofritas – For a vegetarian version, try these delicious sofritas.
How to store a Chipotle burrito bowl?
If you have already assembled your Chipotle burrito bowl, you can put the leftovers in an airtight container and it will last in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Once ready to eat, remove the Chipotle bowl, keep it out of the fridge and eat it at room temperature because some of the ingredients (like guacamole) might not be able to be heated in the microwave.
My trick is no to assemble the burrito bowl and keep all the ingredients in separate containers that I store in the fridge. It is a lot easier to reheat whenever you want to consume next.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp + 1 Tsp Olive oil divided
- 8 Oz Chicken breast
- 2 Tsp Taco seasoning I always make my own and I use THIS RECIPE
- 2 1/2 Cups Cauliflower cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 small red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup small onion thinly sliced (about 3/4 )
- 2 tsp Fresh garlic minced
- Salt and pepper
- 2/3 Cup Corn thawed if frozen, leave off for paleo option
- 1/4 Cup Cilantro minced (or more to taste)
- Juice of one large lime + additional for garnish
- 6 Tbsp Salsa of your choice
- 1/2 small avocado chopped into cubes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and heat 1 tsp of the olive oil on high heat in a large, oven-safe pan.
- Sprinkle each side of the chicken breasts with taco seasoning, making sure to really rub it into the chicken.
- Place the chicken into the hot pan and sear until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Flip and repeat until the other side is golden brown. Then, place the chicken into the oven and cook until no longer pink inside, about 20-25 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, place the cauliflower in the food processor and process until small and “rice-like”
- Heat 1/2 Tbsp of the remaining olive oil in a large pan on medium heat and add in the cauliflower. Cover the cauliflower with a lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes.
- While the cauliflower cooks, heat the remaining 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil in a separate large pan on medium-high heat. Add the sliced pepper, onion and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and apepper Cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally.This takes about 3-5 minutes.
- Heat a dry grill pan on high heat and cook the corn kernels until blackened and charred, this only takes a minute or two.
- Place the cooked cauliflower rice into a large bowl and add in the cilantro, lime juice and another pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until well mixed.
- Divide the cauliflower rice between two bowls, followed by the pepper/onion mixture and the corn. Then, divide the salsa and chopped avocado between the bowls.
- Finish by placing one of the cooked chicken breasts on each bowl, followed by another squeeze of fresh lime juice. *
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste and DEVOUR.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:
(including corn)
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PER SERVING: SMARTPOINTS: 8 POINTS+: 11. OLD POINTS: 10
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAG @FOODFAITHFIT AND #FOODFAITHFITNESS ON INSTAGRAM! I LOVE SEEING YOUR RECIPE RECREATIONS!
Want more quick and easy, paleo meals?
Mango Chicken with Coconut Cauliflower Rice
Jerk Shrimp Stew with Cauliflower Rice
Vegan Coconut Curry with Sweet Potato Noodles
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