This copycat Chipotle hen recipe is my spin on the takeout model, and I feel it tastes even higher! Let the hen soak in a single day in a smoky, spicy selfmade marinade. Afterwards, cook dinner your Chipotle hen on the grill for a simple weeknight Tex-Mex dinner.
I feel you guys are going to like this recipe for copycat Chipotle hen. The flavors are daring, smoky, and spicy, and the hen couldn’t be juicier. I let hen thighs soak within the marinade in a single day, and grill them the following day to make use of in straightforward Mexican dinners. Serve with a Southwest quinoa salad or throw this hen on high of a hen burrito bowl on a weeknight, you received’t be sorry.
Causes to Love This Copycat Chipotle Hen Recipe
Marinade so good, you possibly can drink it. This straightforward selfmade Chipotle marinade makes the juiciest, flavor-packed hen!
Nice to make forward. Marinate the hen thighs in a single day within the flavorful marinade. It makes it straightforward to throw them on the grill the following day!
Straightforward to cook dinner. Grilling will get the hen completely charred outdoors and ultra-juicy inside. You may also cook dinner your hen within the oven, air fryer, or stovetop.
Restaurant-style dinner at house. The flavors on this copycat Chipotle hen recipe are simply nearly as good, if not higher, than my favourite Tex-Mex restaurant. I like including this hen to burritos, enchiladas, taco bowls, and extra.
Chipotle Marinade Elements
It took plenty of testing to excellent this Chipotle hen recipe, and it actually comes all the way down to probably the most unbelievable marinade. All it takes is 4 elements, plus easy seasonings. Scroll to the recipe card beneath the put up for the precise quantities that I exploit on this recipe.
Garlic – Recent garlic cloves, or you need to use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder instead of every clove.
Oil – You’ll need to use a impartial oil like gentle olive oil, vegetable, canola, or avocado oil.
Vinegar – I exploit white vinegar, however you need to use one other type, like white or pink wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Chipotle Peppers – Chopped, from a can of chipotle in adobo. For a good spicier marinade, save a number of the sauce from the can to combine in, too.
Seasonings – Floor chipotle peppers, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper. If you happen to don’t have chipotle powder, you need to use a mix of smoked paprika and cayenne pepper to imitate the warmth and smokiness.
What Hen Ought to I Use?
I exploit boneless, skinless hen thighs. It’s because darkish meat may be very forgiving, and its larger fats content material makes it tougher to overcook.
You may make this Chipotle hen recipe with bone-in hen, hen breasts, or any lower you’d like. If you happen to’re utilizing hen breasts, I like to recommend marinating them in a single day for the very best outcomes. Understand that totally different cuts of hen will even have totally different cooking occasions.
Mix the marinade. Begin by combining the marinade elements in a blender or meals processor and mix till easy.
Marinate the hen. Trim any extra fats from the hen earlier than you marinate it. Then, mix the hen with the marinade in a big bowl. Therapeutic massage that round to coat, cowl the hen, and let it marinate within the fridge in a single day. You may also marinate the hen in a zip-top bag when you have one.
Get able to grill. When it’s time to cook dinner your hen, discard the leftover marinade. Get your outside grill or indoor grill pan preheated on medium warmth.
Grill the hen. Onto the grill goes the marinated hen. Grill your Chipotle hen for 5-7 minutes per facet, till it’s cooked by way of to 165ºF. Slice and serve!
No Grill? Bake Your Hen As an alternative!
If you happen to don’t have an outside grill, you can also make baked Chipotle hen within the oven. Bake the marinated hen on a sheet pan at 375ºF for 25-Half-hour.
Another choice is to make use of the air fryer. On this case, observe the cooking instructions for my air fryer chicken thighs. You may also cook dinner your hen on the stovetop, like this honey chipotle skillet chicken.
Suggestions for Profitable Grilled Hen
Preheat the grill. I at all times do the sizzle take a look at. If you happen to place your hen on the grill and also you hear it sizzle straight away, the grill grates are scorching sufficient. If the hen doesn’t sizzle, it means your grill must warmth up a bit longer.
Cooking occasions will range. The precise grilling occasions will depend upon the dimensions and thickness of your hen, and whether or not you employ breasts or thighs, bone-in, or boneless. Hen breasts will probably be faster to cook dinner, whereas bone-in hen will take longer.
Test that the hen is cooked. Use an instant-read thermometer to test that the interior temperature reads 165ºF on the thickest a part of the hen.
What to Serve With Chipotle Hen
Use this grilled Chipotle hen in all kinds of scrumptious Mexican meals! Serve with rice or a Southwest Cobb salad, with tortilla chips and avocado salsa or cowboy caviar on the facet. You may also shred it so as to add to chicken tacos, or slice the hen to serve over a grilled hen salad or taco bowl.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate. Retailer the leftover Chipotle hen in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days. I wish to shred leftovers to make extra Mexican meals like chicken enchiladas, selfmade chicken taquitos, and chicken flautas.
Reheat. Microwave the hen or warmth it by way of on the stovetop till it’s scorching all through.
Freeze. Retailer the hen hermetic and freeze it for as much as 2 months. Thaw within the fridge earlier than reheating.
This copycat Chipotle hen recipe sees juicy hen soaked in a single day in a smoky, spicy selfmade marinade, then cooked on the grill. Serve this Chipotle hen as a simple Tex-Mex dinner!
6 cloves garlic
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup impartial oil (like gentle olive oil, vegetable, canola, or avocado)
3 tablespoons gentle brown sugar
3 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped chipotle peppers (from a can of chipotle in adobo)
1 1/2 teaspoons floor chipotle pepper
1 tablespoon floor cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon floor black pepper
3 kilos boneless skinless hen thighs
Mix all of the elements besides the hen right into a blender or meals processor. Mix till pureed.
Trim the hen of extra fats and place it into a big bowl or zip-top bag. Pour the marinade on high of the hen and coat. Cowl the bowl (or seal the bag) and permit the hen to marinate within the fridge for at the very least 4 hours or as much as in a single day.
When able to cook dinner, preheat the grill to medium. Take away the hen from the marinade and discard the marinade.
Grill the hen for five – 7 minutes per facet, or till it reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer.
Slice and revel in.
Notes
Retailer hermetic within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Freeze hermetic for as much as 2 months. Thaw within the fridge.