Homemade Fajita Seasoning & Homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowl

Got hooked on the Chipotle Burrito Bowl recently.  I thought it would be fun to make a homemade version of this for my family, so I went in search of a recipe on-line.  I found the below recipe, along with a homemade recipe for the fajita seasoning that is used.  Hope you enjoy!

First - the homemade fajita seasoning.  This is much healthier than store-bought seasoning - most of these ingredients should already be in your cupboard:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon crushed chicken bouillon cube (optional)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin

Now for the homemade chipotle burrito bowl recipe:

For the Cilantro-Lime Rice:

2 Cups of organic Jasmine Rice
4 Cups of water
1 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoons of low-fat butter
1/2 to 1 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup of onion, chopped
1 lime, squeeze out fresh juice
dash of cumin
1/2 tsp of pepper

For the Chicken:

1 package fajita seasoning mix (2 Tbsp of homemade seasoning equals one store-bought packet)
3 cups of lean chicken, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion

Other ingredients that go into the burrito bowl:

2 cups frozen Corn
1 can black beans, low sodium
a bag of low-fat shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
Salsa, if desired
Pico de gallo, if desired
baked tortilla chips, highly recommended
lettuce, chopped
tomatoes, chopped
1 small container of low-fat sour cream
guacamole (see recipe for homemade below)

For the Guacamole:

1 avocado
1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro
1/4 cup of onion
1 tablespoon of salsa or tomato
pepper to taste

Directions:

For Rice:

1. Start by making the rice first (be sure to follow the directions on the bag of any jasmine rice you’re using).


2. The only difference will be that you’re adding salt, butter, lime juice, onion, cumin and cilantro. Add these after the boiling stage but before the simmering stage. Mix well and keep covered. Keep in mind one of the key ingredients to making this like the rice at Chipotle is the lime and cilantro, that flavor is important!


3. While the rice is cooking… steam the corn in a separate pot and keep warming on the side. Also put entire can of black beans into separate pot and heat on low, stirring often, until hot.

To Make the Chicken:

1. Add some oil of chose to a frying pan and toss chicken in. Heat chicken on medium heat, stirring often to get chicken cooking evenly.
2. Add 1/4 cup of water and entire package of fajita seasoning (you can also just follow the directions on that packet). Add more water if necessary.
3. Toss and stir chicken until evenly coated, turn heat to low-med and simmer for another 5 to 8 minutes.

For the Guacamole:

1. Remove peel and core from avocado and chop up into pieces. Add to a medium bowl.
2. Chop and blend avocado until it’s the desired texture.
3. Add chopped cilantro, 1/4 cup of onions, lime juice, salsa or tomatoes and mix well.
4. Add pepper to taste.

Now that everything’s complete you can get large bowls for each person eating. Follow the below order of things if you want it to resemble Chipotle the most:

1. First add rice to bowl
2. Then add black beans
3. Then add chicken (remember I used chicken but you could substitute for pork, beef or go veggie!)
4. Add desired amount of corn.
5. Add toppings (like cheese, then add salsa or pico de gallo, tomatoes, add sour cream and guacamole).
6. Finally top that off with desired amount of chopped lettuce.

I hope you all enjoyed my little restaurant copycat cooking adventure! If you make your own attempt be sure to let me know how it goes with comments below.