Last Updated on February 24, 2025
Here’s a way to get the flavor of a Chipotle burrito bowl, but with a lot fewer calories. Using simple ingredients and adding a hint of spice to make it flavorful, you might not know the difference.
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Calories In The Burrito Bowl
The calories in a Chipotle burrito bowl really add up fast when you put in rice, black beans, sour cream, cheese, and guacamole. They taste great but you’re looking at about a thousand calories. Just take a look at the Chipotle Nutrition Calculator!
The burrito bowl that I came up with substitutes Greek yogurt for sour cream and keeps the ingredient list to a minimum. And, the amount of protein in this burrito bowl is 38 grams with whole milk Greek yogurt, beans, and chicken. That’s amazing for a 350-calorie meal.
This healthy burrito bowl is a great way to have a healthy dinner or tasty, low-calorie lunch.
Ingredients Used In This Chipotle Burrito Bowl Recipe
This is what I used for my homemade burrito bowl.
- Chicken breast
- Romaine lettuce
- Black beans
- Yellow onions
- Green onion
- Greek yogurt
- Salsa
- Fresh cilantro
- Spices
And here are a lot more ideas for burrito ingredients.
- Rotisserie chicken
- Steak strips
- Carnitas (pork)
- White rice or Brown rice
- Pinto beans
- Jalapeno peppers
- Fresh Pico de gallo
- Avocado
- Red onion
- Sweet corn
- Red bell peppers
- Fresh limes or lime juice
- Tortilla chips
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (for extra heat)
Use any of your favorite ingredients but keep in mind that we are trying to keep this burrito bowl healthy and lower calorie. The best thing about this healthy burrito bowl recipe is that you can use your favorite fresh ingredients and even leftovers to create a good burrito bowl.
Putting The Burrito Bowl Together
I caramelized one-half of a yellow onion that was finely chopped in a large skillet on medium heat. Then drained and rinsed one can of black beans.
Once the onions were done, I put the beans into the skillet and added a tablespoon of Penzey’s salsa and pico seasoning (ad) and an eighth of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. A substitute for Penzey’s seasoning could be a combination of onion powder, chili powder, and ground cumin. Or you might like to use your favorite taco seasoning.
This made enough for three burrito bowls, (or some for tasty leftovers).
I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts which I seasoned with more chipotle-type spices and pan-grilled in my Lodge cast iron grill pan.
It is kind of like making chicken fajita meat. We could call this a chicken fajita bowl perhaps. You want to develop those spicy flavors in the chicken.
First, spray the grill pan with some cooking oil then heat up to medium-high heat.
Add the chicken breast and sear the smooth side for a couple of minutes until you get a good browning. Turn the breast over, lower the heat, and cover the pan for another six to eight minutes. Check with an instant-read thermometer that the internal temperature is over 140°.
Remove the breast and let it rest covered for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.
You could also make a vegan burrito bowl or keep it vegetarian. Substitute the chicken with cilantro lime rice. Also, hearty brown rice would be a good choice for your vegetarian burrito bowls.
The ingredient list and the nutrition label are for one burrito bowl so adjust your quantities according to the number of servings you are making.
Storing Leftover Ingredients
Since making your own burrito bowls is an assembly process, it is best if you store ingredients separately in an airtight container. This is especially true for canned black beans as one burrito bowl only uses a portion of the entire can.
This tasted fantastic even without all the high-calorie additions. The Fage brand Greek yogurt was really good with the thick Pace salsa. Mix it all together for a low-calorie Chipotle-style burrito bowl. Move over salad bowl, we’re upping our game to a healthy chicken burrito bowl recipe.
Here are a few more popular recipes to try:
- Shrimp Penne alla Vodka Sauce
- Shrimp and Sausage Stew
- How to Make Crab Cakes
- Tender Beef Tips on Egg Noodles
Chipotle-Style Burrito Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz . skinless , boneless grilled chicken breast
- 1/2 head of Romaine lettuce chopped
- 1/3 cup Goya black beans
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil for the caramelized onion
- 1 med. yellow onion, cut into slices
- 1 green onion , chopped
- 1/3 cup whole milk Greek yogurt , like Fage
- 2 tbsp Pace salsa
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp Penzey's salsa and pico seasoning
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro , coarsely chopped
- grape tomatoes (optional)
Instructions
- Use a heavy skillet to caramelize a finely sliced onion with 1 tbsp vegetable oil, using low temperature, 15 to 20 mins.
- Drain and rinse 1 can of black beans, then add to the onions along with 1 tbsp. Penzey's salsa and pico seasoning, or similar, 1/8 tsp. cayenne, and a pinch of salt, keep warm.
- Lightly coat the chicken breast with olive oil, then season all sides with your choice of chipotle style seasoning, (I used Penzey's chicken taco seasoning)
- Grill chicken breast in a heavy skillet or cast iron grill pan on high heat, smooth side down for 2 minutes.
- Turn the chicken over, lower the heat to low, cover the skillet for 6 to 8 minutes until the internal temperature is at least 140°, remove to a plate then rest the chicken 5 minutes covered before slicing.
- Assemble the ingredients in a bowl first putting the romaine on the bottom, mixing in some chopped cilantro.
- Put the beans on top of the lettuce, then add the sliced grilled chicken breast, the yogurt and salsa, then garnish with chopped green onion, more cilantro, and a few halved grape tomatoes.
- Serve warm
Notes
- To caramelize the onion, start with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet on low to medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and cook while occasionally stirring until the onion is a light brown color. This may take 15 to 20 minutes.
- You can make your own Chipotle-style seasoning with 1 tbsp. chili powder, 1 tbsp. sweet paprika, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. dry oregano, 1/2 tsp. coarse salt, and 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper.
- Store leftover ingredients separately in an airtight container for up to 4 days refrigerated.
- Nutrition information is for one burrito bowl using the ingredients in the recipe card. Brown rice is a good addition to the bowl and would add about 110 calories per 1/2 cup. Season the rice with additional Chipotle style seasoning and lime juice for flavor.
Nutrition
MaryJo
Delicious meal in a bowl! The Fage whole milk yogurt tastes just like sour cream, but with way fewer calories and a lot of high-quality protein.