Chipotle Burrito Bowl Secrets Revealed

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A comprehensive guide to Chipotle burrito bowls. This video includes Chipotle’s original recipes for adobo sauce, adobo-marinated chargrilled chicken thighs, cilantro-lime rice, adobo pinto beans, roasted chili-corn salsa, fajita veggies, Chipotle’s original cheese mixture, citrus juice, and Chipotle-honey vinaigrette.

Chipotle recipe document:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/134bHwcnOXjvF1osoebc8jPO7lJbRyrUTjHs2v8nbCXA/edit?usp=sharing

Wanna learn how to make Thailand-Style Pad Thai at Home? Check out this video: https://youtu.be/_ueMYVCJR24

Ingredients:
Dried Chipotle Morita Chiles: https://geni.us/ObbwVPP
Cumin: https://geni.us/YBXp0D
Black Pepper: https://geni.us/vF4oP
McCormick Oregano: https://geni.us/O22f
Morton’s Kosher Salt: https://geni.us/hplyYGS
White Vinegar: https://geni.us/y0uABJ
Honey: https://geni.us/8b9JtS9
Dried Pinto Beans: https://geni.us/BhhOg
Riceland White Rice: https://geni.us/6VxgL
Bay Leaves: https://geni.us/lGJAgEG
Fire-Roasted Corn: https://geni.us/p9mnR
Red Wine Vinegar: https://geni.us/PuJuruY

Kitchen gear in video:
Double butane burner: https://geni.us/jBrE45
Wusthof Kitchen Scissors: https://geni.us/SEYC5if
Induction Cooktop: https://geni.us/mOpIF
Cutting Board: https://geni.us/zIWbTB
Plastic wrap: https://geni.us/9pOHml
Vitamix blender: https://geni.us/LU69PD
Wusthof Utility Knife: https://geni.us/UWaMXlL
Hefty Ziploc Bags: https://geni.us/OAfukY4
Thermal Thermometer: https://geni.us/P9Bcr3
Fish Spatula: https://geni.us/3gbNddi
Instant Read Meat Thermometer: https://geni.us/GDqv
Citrus Juicer: https://geni.us/AT1s
Pyrex Glass Storage Containers: https://geni.us/gR5JmI0
Zojirushi Rice Cooker: https://geni.us/34iURhM
Instapot pressure cooker: https://geni.us/ftAGD98
Anchor Glass Ramekins: https://geni.us/Jplij
Wusthof Paring Knife: https://geni.us/mwUWUX6
Masher: https://geni.us/8ODCBL
Box Grater: https://geni.us/8klpB
Squeeze Bottle: https://geni.us/QZSD5b
Deli containers: https://geni.us/rJXoK
Misono UX10 Chef’s Knife: https://geni.us/0NB5
John Boos Work Table: https://geni.us/XZXk

Timestamps:
Intro 0:00
Dried Chiles: 0:35
Adobo Sauce: 2:15
Chargrilled Adobo Marinated Chicken: 5:06
Citrus Juice 9:17
Pinto Bean Preparation 10:01
Cilantro-Lime Rice 10:43
Adobo Pinto Beans 12:28
Roasted Chili-Corn Salsa 13:55
Fajita Veggies 16:05
Guacamole 17:02
Chipotle’s Original Cheese Mixture 17:40
Sour Cream 18:34
Bowl Preparation 18:45
Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette 19:17
Taste Test & Outro 20:10

Music by Epidemic Sound (free 30-day trial! Affiliate link): https://share.epidemicsound.com/v23gld

Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Jason Farmer may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from amazon.com

have you ever wondered why your burrito bowl at Chipotle doesn’t taste like it used to in this video we’ll break down all of Chipotle’s original old school recipes we’ll explore the traditional Mexican dried pepper paste that is the key to unlocking Chipotle’s original flavor and I’ll reveal all the secret ingredients missing from nearly every recipe online here’s everything we’ll discuss today cilantro lime rice fajita veggies Chipotle adobo pinto beans roasted chili corn salsa Char grilled adobo marinated chicken thighs the original cheese mixture they no longer use and Chipotle’s guacamole if you’ve made an online Chipotle knoff recipe you may have noticed you’re not getting the depth of flavor you tasted in the original recipe this is because most people instruct you to use canned chipotle in Adobo sauce but what sets the original recipe apart from internet interpretations is the use of a traditional Mexican Adobo marinade so what exactly is an Adobo sauce adobo refers to a paste or sauce made from dried Chile and other aromatics or vegetables this thick paste is used as a base for a ton of dishes in traditional Mexican Cuisine and it’s a homemade Adobo sauce that will make all the difference in getting the original Chipotle flavor but what dried peppers does Chipotle use for their adobo you’ll see several different varieties at most grocery stores Paia ancho guio Aral and they all have their various uses but Chipotle as its name implies uses a dried version of the jalapeno pepper called a Chipotle and you’ll probably encounter two different types of dried Chipotle at most grocery stores the first is called Chipotle mecco these are closely related to the type of pepper Chipotle uses but mechos are dried and smoked for a ridiculously long time which gives them an intensely earthy and deeply Smoky flavor that’s a little too overpowering for Chipotle’s flavor what we’re looking for is the cousin of Chipotle Meco called Chipotle Morita these are picked a little earlier than mechos and they’re dried and smoked for a much shorter time their flavor is a lot sweeter and not as Smoky as Chipotle Meco when you’re buying dried Chile you want to make sure they’re pliable like this if you find your Chile are brittle and break or crumble when you bend them they’re too dehydrated and should be discarded to prepare the Adobo sauce here I’m starting with 8 oz of dried moritas we’ll Begin by snipping off the stems from each Chile if they have one next we’ll cut each one in half lengthwise to remove all of the seeds and ribs from each Chi it’s not necessary to get every last seed but you want to get out as much as you can because the seeds don’t blend well and they’re sometimes very bitter once you’ve cleaned up all the peppers heat your largest pan over medium heat add the dried Chile to the pan and stir continuously until the peppers are fragrant usually about 4 to 5 minutes the reason we toast the dried Chile before cooking them is because this will activate some of the essential oils and bring out lots of complex flavors next we’ll add The Toasted Chile to a large bowl and fully submer merge them in hot water then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and rehydrate the Chile for about 15 to 20 minutes after the Chipotle have plumped up strain them and set the rehydrated chilies aside for the garlic Mexican Cooks have a unique way of roasting their cloves because of its harshness raw garlic is not typically used in traditional Mexican Cuisine so they’ll generally roast or blanch it before adding it to dishes what they’ll do is heat a dry pan over medium heat and add the individual cloves with the skin on to take out the harsh bite of raw garlic and give it a nice mellow Smoky flavor you’ll just turn the garlic cloves every few minutes until they’re well charred on the outside the entire process usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes you’ll know the garlic is done when the skin is blackened all over and the cloves are slightly softened when you’re finished remove the skin from each clove and you can store the roasted garlic in a covered container in the fridge for about a week to make Chipotle’s original Adobo sauce we’ll start by adding 1 and 1/4 cups of water to a blender or food processor then toss in all the rehydrated chilles four to six cloves of roasted garlic one teaspoon of cumin powder half a teaspoon of black pepper 1 teaspoon of oregano and 1 tbspoon of Morton’s kosher salt and a quick note on the oregano and salt in spite of popular belief Chipotle does not use Mexican oregano in their dishes they use mccormic Mediterranean oregano and for salt they use Morton’s coarse kosher salt in all their recipes so that’s what we’re using for this video now I offer my sincere condolences if all your smoothies start tasting like Chipotle but you’ll just blend the adobo over medium speed until you have a mixture with no large chunks in it if the sauce doesn’t seem to be coming together you may need to add a splash of additional water and you might be wondering why I’m instructing you to make such a large batch of adobo the reason is because it’s quite labor intensive so it’s always smarter to make much more than you need because you can section it down into smaller portions and freeze the rest for future use the adobo will keep for about a month in the fridge and it’ll stay good in the freezer for about a year now for the chicken chipotle uses boneless skinless chicken thighs and they use chicken thighs because they’re virtually indestructible and extremely difficult to overcook so here I’ve got 2 lbs of chicken thighs to prepare them you’ll just trim off any excess bits of tough fat or gristle you find then take the Ziploc bag and turn the tops out like this so the marinade won’t get on the ceiling part and add the chicken to the bag then in a small bowl mix in 1/4 cup to half a cup of the adobo marinade along with 2 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar and 1 tbspoon of honey and whisk them together and these are the two secret ingredients almost everyone misses when making their chipotle chicken at home the addition of vinegar adds a bit of brightness and acidity to the marinade and acts as a brine to tenderize the chicken even further and help keep it extra juicy and even though Chipotle no longer uses honey and their chicken marinade it was included in the original recipe to make the chicken a bit sweeter and less spicy than their steak then pour the marinade over the chicken in the bag and make sure all the pieces are coated in the adobo and you’ll want to marinate it for about 8 to 12 hours just be sure to keep it refrigerated the entire time now one of the things that sets Chipotle apart from other restaurants is that they prepare all their proteins on a large flat top grill what this does is help ensure they get a nice charred flavor over the entire surface of their meats if you’ve ever wondered how to recreate this effect at home I recommend using a carbon steel 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carbon steel griddle and maiden’s other cookware by using the link in my video description to save on your order now when you’re ready to cook the chicken start by heating your cooking surface to 350 to 400° and chipotle sprays sunflower oil on The Griddle for their chicken but any neutral oil will work once the oil is hot add the marinated chicken thighs smooth side down another unique thing Chipotle does is to sprinkle only one side of the chicken with kosher salt while they’re cooking so season all the thighs with salt and brown them until they develop a nice Char I believe cooking with Chris who is a former employee of Chipotle and has a great Channel you should check out says the color they look for is that of a Dr Pepper can you’re looking for a deep mahogany color with some blackened spots so when your thighs are well browned on the skin side flip them over and continue cooking until the thighs are at least 175° I prefer mine to go to about 185 and I know this is a bit hotter than you’re used to but chicken thighs benefit from a little more heat it helps the collagen in the dark meat break down even further ensuring they stay extra tender just don’t go past 210° and you’ll be fine after the chicken is done remove the thighs from The Griddle and allow them to rest for about 10 minutes this will help the juices redistribute when you’re ready to cut the chicken you always want to place them smooth side down it’s much easier to cut chicken with the skin side facing down now slice each of the thighs into approximately 3/4 in strips then turn the strips 90° and cut them into 3/4 in cubes and this is the original method Chipotle once used to prepare their adobo marinated chicken if you’re preparing this in advance you can store the chicken in a covered container in the fridge for about 3 to 5 days now before we delve into all the other dishes we need to address a key ingredient Chipotle uses in nearly everything that almost everyone gets wrong Citrus juice I think when most people online see cilantro lime rice on their menu they assume it’s just lime juice but Chipotle uses a blend of lemon and lime juice if you look at their website it states 1 gallon of citrus juice at our restaurants is made with about 63 limes and only 25 lemons I’ve experimented with a bunch of different ratios to get the proper flavor and I found that two small limes for every one large lemon taste exactly like the samples I picked up at Chipotle when you’re making your batch just make sure to strain it to get all the pulp and seeds out of it and you can store this Citrus juice in the fridge for about a month and the first dish we’ll use the Citrus juice in is the adobo pinto beans but we’ll need to prepare them first so here I’ve got one pound of dried pinto beans you’ll want to pick through them and remove any broken beans or small stones then in a small bowl add 2 tblspoon of kosher salt and a cup or two of water whisk just enough to dissolve the salt and then pour the salted water over the beans now pour in more fresh water so the beans are completely submerged and covered by about two 2 in of water the salt will help the beans absorb the water more evenly which will prevent your beans from bursting when we cook them and you don’t have to refrigerate the beans while they’re soaking just put them in an outof thee way space for about 8 to 12 hours to properly hydrate while our beans are soaking it’s a perfect time to prepare the cilantro lime rice but what type of rice does Chipotle use most of the people at the restaurant I’ve spoken with tummy they see 50 lb bags of producer brand extra fancy long grain white rice the the problem is that this brand isn’t commercially available but a handful of people have told me they’ve seen Rand brand enriched long grain white rice at their location and Rand is available nearly everywhere so this is what I recommend although any brand of long grain white rice should work fine to prepare it we’ll start by washing the Rice under several changes of running water until it runs clear this will remove some of the surface starch that causes the rice to Clump together and there’s no real trick to how Chipotle prepares their rice except the fact that they add oil and bay leaves while they’re cooking it so in a large pot or rice cooker add 2 cups of washed white rice 1 tsp of neutral oil two bay leaves and enough water to cook the rice we add bay leaves to the rice to avoid adding the entire Bay Tree or laurel tree whatever it’s called and then you’ll just cook the rice according to the package instructions after it’s done remove the cooked rice to a large bowl and pour over 2 tblspoon of neutral oil then stir it in until the oil has coated all of the rice next in a small bowl add 1 and 1/4 tpoon of kosher salt 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro and 2 tbspoon of citrus juice whisk until the salt is dissolved and pour the mixture over the rice stir until everything is well Incorporated and adjust the seasoning with extra salt and citrus juice and this is the exact recipe for Chipotle’s cilantro lime rice after it’s cooled off you can store the rice in a covered container in the fridge for about 3 to 5 days now back to the beans when they’re finished soaking rinse them off with cold running water pick out any broken ones you see and set the soaked beans aside then add some neutral oil to a small pan over medium heat toss in a half a cup of finely diced yellow onion sweat the onion until it’s translucent and remove it from the heat then add the soaked and rinsed beans to a large pot or pressure cooker along with the onion 2 tablespoons of the Adobo sauce two bay leaves one teaspoon of kosher salt and one slice of bacon and this is one of the things almost everyone misses when they’re attempting to recreate the original flavor of Chipotle’s pinto beans at home they used to add bacon to the cooking liquid with the beans but they went completely vegan with their recipe several years ago the bacon is optional but if you’re seeking the original Smoky flavor of Chipotle pinto beans toss in a strip when you’re cooking them then add enough water to cover the beans by about 2 in I’m using six cups here for my pressure cooker if you’re doing this in a pot you may need to add more water then just cook the beans until they’re done it takes roughly 15 minutes in a pressure cooker and it will likely take about an hour or two on the stove top when the Pinos are finished cooking test them to ensure they’re done and season the cooked beans with 2 tbspoon of citrus juice and 5 teaspoons of kosher salt taste the beans to make sure they’re well seasoned and adjust with more citrus juice and salt once they’re cool the beans can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for about 5 to 7 days for The Roasted chili corn salsa Chipotle uses Frozen sweet corn with roasted pablano peppers they just thaw it out and toss it with the seasoning and aromatics it’s a simple recipe and it’s super easy to make it home if you want to use fresh corn on the cob you’ll start by heating the broiler on your oven to high then line a small pan with aluminum foil and oil four corn cobs place the corn under the broiler and turn them every few minutes until they’re blackened all over it usually takes about 25 to 30 minutes when they’re done allow the cobs to cool a bit then cut off off the kernels and set them aside conversely if you don’t feel like messing with fresh corn you should also be able to find Frozen fire roasted corn and roasted corn in a can at most grocery stores these are what I use most often next up is the roasted pablano it’s the same process as the corn but we’ll need to steam and clean the pepper after we roast it so let’s start by heating our Broiler on high and lining a small baking sheet with tin foil then oil the pablano all over and place it under the burners turn the pepper every few minutes until the skin is blackened all over it generally takes about 10 to 15 minutes when you’re done place the pepper in a covered container or a bowl with plastic wrap and let it Steam for about 10 more minutes this steaming loosens the skin on the pepper and will make it much easier to remove once your pablano has cooled slightly remove the skin by peeling it off all over the pepper now remove the stem and open the pepper to clean out any seeds or veins you see inside then you’ll just roughly chop the Flesh of the pablano into small pieces and you can store The Roasted Pepper in a covered container in the fridge for about a week to prepare the chili corn salsa we’ll start by adding 14 oz of corn to a large bowl then toss in 1 tbsp of roasted pablano pepper 1/4 cup of medium diced red onion 1 tbsp of finely diced jalapeno 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro 4 tpoon of citrus juice and 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt mix everything well give the corn salsa a taste and adjust the seasoning with more Citrus juice and salt and you can store the chili corn salsa in a covered container in the fridge for about 5 to 7 days now for the fajita veggies it’s not technically a recipe it’s a ratio by weight of bell peppers to onions Chipotle uses three parts green bell pepper for every two parts red onion and they slice them both into roughly 1/4 in strips so let’s begin by heating some neutral oil in a large pan over medium high heat when you’re up to Temp toss in two sliced green bell peppers and one small sliced red onion leave the fajita veggie mix alone for about 2 minutes to let it caramelize slightly then stir the vegetables and leave them alone for another couple of minutes and just keep cooking them until they’ve got some color but aren’t totally limp and Soggy you want them to have a bit of crunch and texture still when you’re done kill the Heat and season the fajita veggies with 3/4 taspo of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of oregano stir the salt and oregano into the veggies and adjust the seasoning with extra salt if necessary and you can keep the fajita veggies in a covered container in the fridge for about 5 days next up is Chipotle’s guacamole and this is one of the things I don’t feel is worth the extra money at the restaurant because it’s so easy to make at home so we’ll start by adding the Flesh of two small avocados to a large bowl then toss in 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro 1/4 cup of diced red onion 1 tbsp of finely diced jalapeno 2 and 1/2 tspoon of citrus juice and half a teaspoon of kosher salt then Mash everything together and keep stirring the mixture until it has a smooth consistency give the guacamole a taste and adjust the seasoning with extra Citrus juice and salt if necessary and the guacamole will last for about 2 to 3 days in a covered container in the fridge now I don’t know how many of you have noticed this but Chipotle changed its cheese mixture several years ago and I believe the previous version was way better they currently use straight montere Jack but they grate their cheese from a large block the reason grading your cheese is superior to buying the pregrated stuff is that block cheese doesn’t include any of the starches companies use as an anti-caking agent to prevent it from clumping together this can sometimes dilute the flavor and make the cheese kind of gritty so if you dig their current offering definitely go with a nice block of Monterey Jack and grade it at home but if you like Chipotle’s original cheese better which I do the old version was a blend of white cheddar and Monteray Jack only the Chipotle ogs will remember this to make it at home you’ll just take one part white cheddar and one part montere Jack and Grate them on the largest hole of your box grater then toss them together the cheese mixture should keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks and one last note while we’re chilling in the dairy section if you like sour cream on your burrito bowl Chipotle uses Daisy brand full fat sour cream which should be available pretty much everywhere now to prepare the burrito bowls start by layering some of the cilantro lime rice on the bottom of a large bowl then toss in the fajita veggies the adobo pinto beans some roasted chili corn salsa the adobo marinated chicken thighs the shredded cheese mixture and top it off with the guacamole and if you want the authentic Chipotle restaurant experience of making one of the bowls pretend to be a manager writing up one of the workers if they accidentally serve you even a single gram of anything extra and these are all the original Chipotle recipes but very quickly before our taste test I want to show you how to make the Chipotle honey vinegarette because people go crazy over this stuff so let’s start by adding 5 tbspoon of red wine vinegar to a small blender or food food processor then toss in 3 tbsp of Honey 1 tbsp of water 1 tbsp of kosher salt and 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of the Chipotle adobo paste blend for about 20 seconds and then slowly drizzle in 15 tblspoon of neutral oil once the mixture is emulsified pour it into a small bowl and season with 3/4 of a teaspoon of black pepper and half a teaspoon of oregano whisk the pepper and oregano into the vinegarette and adjust the seasoning with extra vinegar Honey Salt adobo or black pepper if necessary and you can store the Chipotle honey vinegarette in a covered container in the fridge for about two weeks just make sure you shake it well before using because it will separate all right back to the taste test I know eating out has gotten very expensive lately but this video will make you about a week’s worth of food and should save you a ton of money and if you want to learn how to make traditional Thailand style pad tie at home make sure to to check out this video thanks for watching see you next time