This recipe began as an attempt to recreate the flavor of the chopped chicken from Chipotle or Qdoba. I spend way too much money on the taco salads from both of these fast food restaurants for a couple of reasons.

One is that the food is delicious! I know that Chipotle has had a few food poisoning issues in the last year or so, which can make some people wary of eating there. Luckily none of those issues occurred at restaurants near me, and honestly I just love the food so much that I think it would take me personally getting sick to make me stop. Maybe not the healthiest mentality but it’s the honest truth.

The other reason is that Chipotle and Qdoba are two on a very short list of fast food places where I can *almost guarantee that I won’t get glutened. First of all, they are both really transparent about their ingredients (see the Chipotle Ingredient Statement and the Qdoba Allergen Chart). Second of all they prepare everything right in front of you, so you can carefully watch to make sure that if there are flour tortillas around, they aren’t coming in contact with your food. If you mention that you have Celiac then the person preparing your food should change their gloves too to ensure that there isn’t any residual flour on them.

While this recipe began with my favorite on-the-go chicken in mind, it didn’t turn out quite the same. Actually it tastes a lot different than Chipotle or Qdoba’s versions, but it was still delicious! And other than the time it takes to marinade, this recipe is also pretty fast and easy – perfect for a busy weeknight meal.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon of avocado oil
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1/4 of a red onion
• 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce.)
  • Make sure it is gluten free! A lot of these sauces contain wheat flour so read the ingredients thoroughly before buying.
• 2 teaspoons of oregano
• 3 teaspoons of cumin
• 2 teaspoons of salt

Instructions

1. Chop the chicken breasts up into small cubes.
2. Now this part is important: Open the can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce and carefully remove each chili, leaving only the sauce behind. Try not to squeeze the chilies since it will release all the spiciness into the sauce, which will try and kill you. You want only the sauce, no chiles. Trust me, I accidentally squeezed some chipotle juice into my adobo sauce once and my mouth almost caught fire.
3. Add the onion, garlic, adobo sauce, oregano, cumin, and salt to a blender and blend until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of filtered water if you need more liquid.
4. Place the chopped chicken in a Ziploc bag and add the contents of the blender. Seal tightly and allow it to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight for the best flavor.
5. Once the chicken has marinaded and you’re ready to cook, heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
6. Add the chicken and whatever marinade is left in the bag to the skillet. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
7. Once the chicken is cooked, you can use it for tacos, nachos, or as a topping on a salad. I usually have it on top of a large serving of leafy greens with some avocado, olives, tomatoes, cilantro, and a drizzle of lime juice.