Turn this easy Chipotle Lime Chicken into a chicken salad bowl or a chicken burrito bowl in next to no time. Made with pantry staples, this juicy stove top chicken is so easy to make. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or as a meal prep!
Want an easy and quick protein to add to your next salad or burrito bowl? Try this simple but delicious chipotle lime chicken. I love the flavours you get from chipotle and have used them previously in my easy chipotle chicken thighs and honey chipotle chicken but if you don’t have chipotle in adobo sauce, then this recipe is for you as it uses powdered chipotle powder instead.
Why You’ll Love This Chipotle Chicken
- It’s so easy to make! All you have to do is marinate your chicken in a small dish (the smaller the dish the less marinade is needed) and then add it to your skillet on the stove top. This post will walk you through how to cook chicken thighs in a pan quickly. A couple minutes on each side and you’ve got a quick boneless chicken thigh recipe perfect for a busy weeknight!
- It’s packed with flavour. This pan seared boneless chicken thighs recipe is packed with flavour thanks to the chipotle lime marinade.
- Makes for the perfect meal prep. Meal prep a batch of this sweet and spicy chipotle chicken for the week! It reheats wonderfully. More info on this simple chicken meal prep bowl down below!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- chipotle powder — use chipotle powder to get that signature smoky taste.
- lime juice — I recommend using freshly squeezed lime and not bottled lime juice as it tastes more fresh and bright.
- olive oil
- garlic powder
- salt
- brown sugar — you can use light or dark brown sugar.
- cilantro
- chicken thighs — boneless skinless chicken thighs.
To go with the chicken, you can serve it with anything you want, but to make a salad bowl as I did, here’s what you’ll need:
- romaine lettuce — here’s a step by step tutorial on how to cut romaine lettuce.
- red onions
- cherry tomatoes
- avocados
- corn
- sour cream
- rice — optional
How to Make Chipotle Lime Chicken
- In a small or shallow bowl, combine the chipotle powder, lime juice, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and brown sugar. Mix to combine and add the cilantro and chicken thighs. Marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- On medium heat, heat up your skillet (preferably cast iron) and melt the butter and the rest of the olive oil before adding in the chicken thighs, smooth side down and then cook for 5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary. Be sure to add more butter and oil for the second batch.
- Make this into a chipotle lime chicken salad: serve with chopped romaine lettuce, red onions, corn, tomatoes, avocado, and sour cream.
- Make this into a chipotle lime burrito bowl: serve with the same as above overtop a bed of rice to turn this into a chicken burrito bowl.
Make Ahead Tips
- Meal prep: store the cooked chicken in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. If you are serving this as a salad, feel free to pack it all together. If you are serving this as a chipotle chicken bowl, I recommend packing the rice (and the chicken if you’d like) separately. You’d want to heat up the rice before enjoying and the lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, etc will not reheat well alongside the rice. It’s easier to heat the rice up separately and then add it to your bowl afterwards. Add in the avocado the day of serving.
- Freezer: allow the chicken thighs to cool before transferring it into an airtight container before storing them in the freezer.
- How to prep this for the freezer: place the marinade and chicken thighs in a large freezer friendly ziploc bag, to prep this meal ahead of time. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready, thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking.
Chipotle Lime Chicken
Turn this easy Chipotle Lime Chicken into a chicken salad bowl or a chicken burrito bowl in next to no time. Made with pantry staples, this juicy stove top chicken is so easy to make. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or as a meal prep!
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Rate
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 lime, juiced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 3-4 bunches of cilantro
- 8-10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
For the Salad or Bowl
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 red onions, diced
- 1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 avocados
- 1 cup corn
- sour cream, as much or as little as you’d like
- rice, white or brown, as much or as little as you’d like
Instructions
- In a small or shallow bowl, combine the chipotle powder, lime juice, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and brown sugar. Mix to combine and add the cilantro and chicken thighs. Marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- On medium heat, heat up your skillet (preferably cast iron) and melt the butter and the rest of the olive oil before adding in the chicken thighs, smooth side down and then cook for 5 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for 6 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in two batches if necessary. Be sure to add more butter and oil for the second batch.
- Make this into a chipotle lime chicken salad: serve with chopped romaine lettuce, red onions, corn, tomatoes, avocado, and sour cream.
- Make this into a chipotle lime burrito bowl: serve with the same as above overtop a bed of rice to turn this into a chicken burrito bowl.
Notes
- Calorie estimate only includes the chicken and not the ingredients needed to make a salad or burrito bowl.
Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥
Nutrition Per Serving
Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 215mg | Sodium: 801mg | Potassium: 602mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 359IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg
More Salads to Try
- Chopped Chicken Salad
- Chicken Cobb Salad (Meal Prep)
- Chopped Salad with Shrimp
- Honey Chipotle Chicken Salad
- Grilled Chicken Salad with Blueberries
- Spinach Strawberry Salad
Other places to connect with me
@carmyshungry on Instagram
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Email: [email protected]
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