Welcome to a new featured series on Mangia McCann: Top Chef Tuesdays! I’m a huge fan of the show and every Tuesday I’m going to come up with a challenge based upon the prior week’s episode. I will try and keep spoiler alerts to a minimum. Be sure to check out my Instagram TV page for associated video content.
Week 10’s Quickfire Challenge was pretty easy, if you ask me. The cheftestants had 30 minutes and got to choose from 53 real ingredients used at Chipotle and were simply requested a flavor profile (like crunchy & tangy) from one of the four judges. This week’s Last Chance Kitchen, however, was hellish: pitting a losing chef against active cheftestants, in a best-of-3 challenge, where the active chefs were allowed to choose 10 ingredients.
Being a glutton for punishment, I decided to mix the two and have my girls pick 5 ingredients each from Chipotle’s real ingredients. They chose: avocado, black beans, chicken, cilantro, honey, romaine lettuce, tomato, water, white cheddar, and white rice: not too shabby for 11 and 8 yr olds. But, they didn’t select any seasonings, so I decided to add just a few basics (still from the list of 53 items): salt, pepper, cumin and Mexican crema. Even without going crazy on the seasonings, this meal was a great, weeknight option.
Chipotle Real Ingredients Burrito Bowl Challenge
Below is how I would have made the dish if I had a little extra time and ingredients at my disposal. To see how I increased flavor with the few items I was allowed, you’ll have to check out #TopChefTuesday on my IGTV!
~2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
Tomatoes
Lime
Smoked paprika
Cumin
Honey
Cilantro
Rice
Chicken stock
Canned chipotle chiles
Mexican crema
Black beans (canned and drained)
Corn (from 2 ears, or 1 can, drained)
1/2 red onion, minced
Romaine lettuce
White cheddar cheese (shredded)
Avocado
Prepare the chicken by combining 2 or 3 chopped tomatoes, a ¼ cup of water and a teaspoon of salt in a blender. Process until smooth and add juice from 1 lime. Pulse to combine and pour over the chicken. Marinate in the fridge for 4-12 hours. When ready to grill, remove from the marinade and pat dry. Drizzle the chicken with some vegetable oil. Season with kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, and minced fresh cilantro.
Grill, rest, then slice the chicken into bite sized pieces. Drizzle with honey. Stir and reserve.
Make a corn salsa by combining the beans, corn, diced tomato, red onion, and minced cilantro. Season with salt, pepper, olive oil and fresh lime juice. If tomatoes aren’t in season, feel free to use something like Ro-Tel. Let it marinate in the fridge for a few hours, stirring occasionally.
To prepare the cilantro rice and chipotle lime crema, see this prior recipe.
Shred your lettuce and cheddar cheese and reserve.
If you want more than just plain avocado, make a quick guacamole by mixing lime juice, diced avocado, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper.
To serve, place rice on the bottom of a plate or bowl, top with chicken, the black bean & corn salsa, lettuce, chipotle lime crema (or just plain crema, if preferred), and cheese. Serve with hot sauce and lime slices on the side. Top with avocado or guacamole and feel like a boss because you didn’t get charged extra!
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