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Our Amazing Copycat Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe

Our Amazing Copycat Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe

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Ahhh, the wonders of Qdoba. They make this delicious bowl of yumminess and you get to eat it. They are the best. But, if you don’t have one in your area, fear not! You can make it at home! The wonderful flavors of Qdoba can be yours with a few simple ingredients and your own creativity. This is one of our favorite Qdoba copycat recipes and comes in at a fraction of the price that the “real” version does. Read on to learn more about our Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe.

Copycat Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl

Copycat Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl

Cancel Taco Tuesday and Thursday, now you can have Qdoba any day of the week! Taste buds, take notice. This burrito bowl by Copycat Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl is full of the great flavors of a chicken burrito without the tortilla! The shredded chicken, mild salsa, and cheese combine together in this easy recipe for a delicious meal that your family will love and is easily prepared. 

Why You Are Going to Love This:

When you make your own copycat chicken burrito bowls you can add toppings to fit your taste and spice things up a bit. With the combination of flavors, tomatoes and salsa make a great topping to add something different than what Qdoba offers. The Pico we use also adds a yummy condiment that gives a unique Mexican flare to the dishes, and it is still a healthy recipe.

Why is This Better For You Than a Traditional Burrito?

Well, for one, it’s a lot lighter. There’s no tortilla to weigh you down, and all of the ingredients are fresh and healthy. Plus, it’s easier to customize. You can add or omit any ingredients you want, which is great if you’re trying to accommodate dietary restrictions or just want something different.

how to make qdoba rice

How to Cook Your Rice

You can use your Instant Pot with regular rice or your rice cooker – we like our recipe here: Qdoba Cilantro Lime Rice

Let’s face it, rice bowls are a great way to stretch a budget and whip up an incredible meal that makes for a healthy dinner. The meal prep on this is easy – you can make the pico and the rice mix ahead of time. This makes for easy lunches or a great dinner on that busy night.

What Do I Need to Make the Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl?

To your shopping carts! Here’s the list of everything you will need to assemble your copycat Qdoba bowl to satisfy that craving without paying for takeout. 

Copycat Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl Ingredients
  • Red onion – this can be sauteed, grilled, or roasted. We like to roast ours in the oven.
  • Tomatoes – we prefer to use Roma tomatoes because they are less watery.
  • Fresh Cilantro – this is a must in our opinion!
  • Jalapeno peppers- these can be omitted if you don’t like things too spicey
  • Lime juice – fresh lime juice is always best, but you can use bottled if that’s what you have on hand.
  • Cooked Rice – check out our version here: Qdoba Cilantro Lime Rice Copycat Recipe. Stick with white as brown rice doesn’t really work here.
  • Qdoba seasoned chicken breasts, cooked and diced – You could use chicken thighs if you really wish.
  • Black beans – these add color and texture, in addition to the protein.I keep canned on hand for this recipe as one of my pantry staples.
  • Corn – we like to use canned or frozen for this.
  • Crisp Lettuce – we prefer baby bibb or baby spinach for this.
  • Additional flavorful ingredients as desired – sour cream, guacamole, salsa.

How to make our Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl

First, you have to make the Pico de Gallo – you really want this to have a chance to set so the flavors can marry each other. It just makes for a better end result.

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What is Pico de Gallo?

Pico de Gallo is Spanish for “fresh salsa.” Pico de Gallo’s base ingredients are usually tomatoes, onions, peppers (spicy or bell), cilantro, and lime juice. That is pretty much what we are going to use!

making pico

In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup red onion, diced with 1 cup Roma tomato, diced. Add in ½ cup cilantro, chopped, 1 diced jalapeno, a splash of Lime juice, and Salt & pepper to taste.

Now, to make the Rice

In a large bowl, combine the 4 cups of cooked white rice, with 1 cup of chopped cilantro, and then a splash of Lime juice. Set the bowl aside.

Time to Make Your Qdoba Chicken Bowls!

You will need

  • 4 cups Qdoba seasoned chicken breasts, cooked and diced
  • 1 can sweet corn, drained
  • 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup lettuce, chopped.

Take a bowl and place a serving of rice on the bottom of the bowl.

Copycat Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl with chicken

Add a serving of Qdoba chicken in the middle.

Around the chicken add corn, black beans, and lettuce as you wish.

Copycat Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl

This is where the fun starts – add in your pico, sour cream, and guacamole that you want to customize your bowl with.

Serve and enjoy!

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Copycat Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl FAQs:

What Substitutions Can I Make?

You can substitute lemon juice for lime juice if you prefer a little bit of a sweeter taste. Exchange cilantro for parsley. It will still taste great and provide plenty of flavor. You can even switch up your protein for endless combinations! Try marinated chicken, ground beef, cotija cheese, or even cooked pork! Really, you have your choice of savory meats to play with.

What is the Best Way To Reheat This Recipe?

If you’ve added anything that should be cold to your bowl like sour cream, it can be difficult to reheat this recipe. However, if you store your leftover separately and assemble them to reheat, you can simply reheat the chicken and rice in the microwave before adding the additional toppings. 

What Toppings Can I Add to This Chicken Burrito Bowl?

Just like when you are dining out at the restaurant, you can add your favorite toppings to the bowl. Some suggestions would be different varieties of shredded cheese or additional roasted veggies like bell peppers or zucchini. As always, sour cream, salsas, and guacamole are always a big hit on top of Tex-Mex cuisine! I like to add a few slices of fresh avocado to my own burrito bowl.

ready to eat Copycat Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl

Serving Suggestions:

This bowl would pair well with a side dish of an actual burrito or combine your preferred taco day with your copycat Qdoba chicken burrito bowl meal. Now you can enjoy the ingredients in two different forms! Other recipes you can make to serve with this bowl are:

If you want to eat healthier, but don’t want to give up your favorite dishes, then I hope this recipe will be of help. It’s more than just a burrito bowl — it’s everything you love about Qdoba in your own kitchen! And with all the time you’ll save not having to drive to the restaurant and wait in line, you’ll have time to go for a run. Go ahead, make everyone at home jealous.

Print off our recipe here:

Yield: 4

Our Amazing Copycat Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe

ready to eat Copycat Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl

Our Amazing Copycat Qdoba Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe has just what you need to make this tasty dish at home for a fraction of the cost of going out

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup red onion, diced
  • 1 cup roma tomatoes, diced
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 diced jalapeno
  • Lime juice
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 4 cups cooked white rice
  • 1 cup cilantro, chopped
  • Lime juice
  • 4 cups Qdoba chicken breasts, cooked and diced
  • 1 can corn, drained
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup lettuce, chopped
  • Additional toppings as desired - sour cream, guacamole, salsa

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup red onion, diced with 1 cup Roma tomato, diced. Add in ½ cup cilantro, chopped, 1 diced jalapeno, a splash of Lime juice, and Salt & pepper to taste.


In a large bowl, combine the 4 cups of cooked white rice, with 1 cup of chopped cilantro, and then a splash of Lime juice. Set the bowl aside.

Take a bowl and place a serving of rice on the bottom of the bowl.

Add a serving of Qdoba chicken in the middle.

Around the chicken add corn, black beans, and lettuce as you wish.

This is where the fun starts – add in your pico, sour cream, and guacamole that you want to customize your bowl with.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 630Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 827mgCarbohydrates: 81gFiber: 12gSugar: 7gProtein: 57g

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