Burrito bar

Mom and I hosted the annual Walton guidance end-of-year get-together last weekend. Mom thought a Chipotle-style burrito bar would work well, so I set about researching copycat Chipotle burritos. Chipotle helpfully publishes an ingredient statement for every dish it serves. Lots of websites have used the ingredient statement to create their own copycat versions of the Chipotle dishes. I looked at some of those and went to work.

This is the longest recipe I've ever posted on UaKS, but it really wasn't that onerous to put together, and the results were very good (or at least that's what everyone said). Mom always panics that we're going to run out of food, so we made twice as much food as in the recipe below (and more than three times as much meat—over six pounds of chicken and steak), which was twice as much as needed to feed the 11 people who came. So this recipe should be plenty to feed 8 to 10 people, even in our family.

Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burritos

Adapted from various sources, including Mashed, Culinary Hill, and the Chipotle ingredient statement

Here is a copycat recipe for Chipotle sofritas if you want to keep it vegetarian.

For the chicken
1 tablespoon finely chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon sunflower, olive, or rice bran oil
½ teaspoon distilled white vinegar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large garlic clove, minced
water, as needed
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

For the guacamole
¼ cup finely chopped shallot, red onion, or white onion
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno or serrano pepper
½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
4 ripe avocados (~2 pounds)
freshly squeezed lime juice to taste

For the cilantro-lime rice
3 rice-cooker cups (2¼ cups) white or brown rice (brown takes longer to cook; I like jasmine rice)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 bay leaves or ¼ teaspoon laurel bay leaf powder
1 teaspoon sunflower, olive, or rice bran oil
water
Juice of ½ lemon, freshly squeezed
Juice of 1 lime, freshly squeezed
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

For the beans
2 15-ounce cans black or pinto beans, or one of each
2 teaspoons sunflower, olive, or rice bran oil
1 small or ½ medium yellow onion (~3 ounces), finely chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
Juice of ½ lemon, freshly squeezed
Juice of 1 lime, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon finely chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
2 bay leaves or ¼ teaspoon laurel bay leaf powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste

For the fajita vegetables
4 green bell peppers, trimmed and sliced into 1-centimeter-thick strips
2 red onions, trimmed and sliced, pole-to-pole, into 1-centimeter-thick strips
¼ cup sunflower, olive, or rice bran oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

For the build
8 or more burrito-sized tortillas
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, grated
good store-bought salsa or Fresh Tomato Salsa (recipe below) or Best-Ever Smoky Red Salsa
shredded romaine lettuce
sour cream or whole-milk yogurt

    1. For the chicken: Place the chipotle chilies in adobo, oil, vinegar, salt, oregano, cumin, pepper, and garlic in the bowl of a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth. Pour into a 1-cup measuring cup. Add enough water to make ¼ cup of marinade.
    2. Pour the marinade into a ziplock bag. Add the chicken, seal the bag, and press with your hands until the chicken is evenly coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 90 minutes.
    3. Cook the chicken on medium-high in a grill pan or on an outdoor grill until charred and cooked through, 8–10 minutes total. Allow the cooked chicken to rest for a few minutes, then cut it into bite-sized pieces.
    4. For the guacamole: Place the shallot or onion, cilantro, and jalapeno or serrano in a mound on a cutting board. Sprinkle with the salt. With a large chef's knife, cut and mash together until everything is very finely chopped or pureed. (You can also do this with a mortar and pestle if you have one.) Transfer to a small bowl.
    5. Halve the avocados and remove the pits. Cut the flesh in a crosshatch pattern. Using a large spoon, scoop the pieces out of the skins and into the bowl. Add lime juice to taste. Stir everything together gently with a silicone spatula, leaving chunks of avocado. Taste, and add more salt and lime juice as needed.
    6. For the rice: Place the rice, salt, bay leaves, and oil in the rice cooker pot. Add water and cook according to the manufacturer's directions.
    7. Transfer to a large bowl. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon and lime juice and the cilantro.
    8. For the beans: Drain one of the cans of beans, but not the other. Place the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onions and cook until softened and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
    9. Stir in the beans (including the liquid from one of the cans), lemon and lime juice, chipotle in adobo, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook until heated through and the liquid has reduced some, about 10 minutes. Taste for salt. Remove and discard the bay leaves before serving.
    10. For the fajita vegetables: Stir all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. 
    11a. Transfer the vegetables to a large skillet (not nonstick), and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are charred and softened, about 8–10 minutes.
    11b. Alternatively, heat the oven to 425 degrees. Transfer the vegetables to an 18-by-13-inch sheet pan. Roast until charred and softened, about 20 minutes. You can switch to the broiler in the last few minutes of cooking to help get a good char.
    12. For the build: Serve burritos (or bowls without burritos) with your choice of chicken, rice, beans, fajita vegetables, guacamole, grated cheese, salsa, lettuce, and/or sour cream. Serves 8 to 10.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Adapted from The Quick Recipe (2003)

½ chipotle chile in adobo sauce or ½ small jalapeño chile, minced
¼ small red onion, peeled, root end removed, and coarsely chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 small, ripe tomatoes (about ¾ pound), cored and cut into eighths; or one 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

Place all of the ingredients except the tomatoes into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until minced, about 5 one-second pulses. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the tomatoes and process until roughly chopped, about 2 one-second pulses. Transfer to a sieve to drain the excess liquid, about 1 minute. Makes about 1 cup. (The salsa can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)