The latest meal planning trend is as surprising as it is genius. All over social media, people have been documenting how they’re using Chipotle catering to hack their weekly meal prep. Influencers post videos buying large, event-sized orders of protein, vegetables, cheese, tortillas and toppings to supplement their weekly cooking and stretch the family food budget. With the rising cost of meal delivery kits, this hack is definitely worth looking into.
Editor’s Tip: The famous Chipotle queso blanco is especially popular and personally, keeps us coming back for more. It’s creamy, cheesy, and perfectly spicy. The only downside? It will set you back a few bucks to add queso to your order.
What Is the Chipotle Catering Meal Prep Hack?
Quite simply, this hack involves ordering Chipotle catering boxes. Unlike individual orders at Chipotle, the catering boxes come with bulk packaged meats, veggies, cheeses and more that can be divided and reassembled in your own dishes (or ones supplied by Chipotle) to create prepared meals to store in the refrigerator.
TikTok creator Erika Gunn showed how she paid $109 to build 10 servings of food for her family (about $11 per meal). “You’d be super surprised. It comes with everything you need,” Gunn says in the video. In the video, she shows how she unboxed the various meats, vegetables and toppings to create several meal bowls that could be easily reheated and stored in the fridge.
Another creator, Alicia Briggs, also tried the hack and posted about it, calling it “absolutely genius.” She says in her video, “I eat a lot of rice, and a lot of chicken, so why not add some mixed vegetables and sautéed fajitas to my meal?” Briggs ended up spending $139 for 10 servings. “This is going to make meals for a long time,” she says.
How much money people save by using Chipotle catering for weekly meal prep seems unclear. A meal delivery service like HelloFresh, for instance, starts at $7.49 per serving. So, if you use HelloFresh, you spend about $53.94 per week for three dishes a week for two people.
For now, Chipotle doesn’t seem to mind that its catering services are being used for meal prep purposes—the company has even added items to its menu recently based on TikTok creators and their hacked menu orders.
Chipotle Copycat Recipes to Try
Slow-Cooker Barbacoa
My husband adores this barbacoa, which is beef roast simmered in lime juice, chipotle and cumin. He would eat it one a week if I would make it that often! We have it over rice with cilantro and a spritz of lime. —Aundrea McCormick, Denver, Colorado
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LAUREN HABERMEHL FOR TASTE HOME
Chipotle chicken is tender, juicy and perfectly seasoned to complement all the burrito fixings in those gigantic
flour tortillas. Making this copycat Chipotle chicken recipe at home couldn't be easier; the key is marinating your chicken overnight in a spicy, smoky blend of herbs, spices and aromatics.
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Chipotle Queso Blanco CopycatOoey-gooey cheesy queso is great in bowls, burritos—even straight out of the cup! This copycat recipe tastes just like Chipotle's queso blanco, but if you want your queso to look more similar, use shredded white cheddar instead of yellow.
Editor's Tip: The famous
Chipotle queso blanco is especially popular and personally, keeps us coming back for more. It’s creamy, cheesy,
and perfectly spicy. The only downside? It will set you back a few bucks to add queso to your order.
Chipotle Guacamole CopycatChipotle's guacamole is legendary—and for good reason. The secret? Its freshness! Though many dips tend to improve the longer they sit, guacamole tastes best shortly after it's made, so the flavor of fresh avocado shines through the rest of the ingredients. Eating it right away also
keeps guacamole from browning.
Chipotle Tomatillo-Green Chili Salsa CopycatTomatillos may look like
green tomatoes, but they're not the same thing. Instead, tomatillos are small, round and firm with a dense interior. When raw, tomatillos have a bright, extremely tart flavor that's somewhat reminiscent of limes. When roasted, tomatillos lose that acidic edge and become a little sweeter. They're the perfect addition to salsa.
Chipotle Rice CopycatHave you ever dreamed of going to Chipotle and eating nothing but a big, heaping bowl of fluffy cilantro-lime rice? Well, you can make that dream come true in your very own home with this simple five-ingredient recipe.
LAUREN HABERMEHL FOR TASTE OF HOME
If possible, try to find fresh or frozen sweet white corn for the most authentic Chipotle corn salsa. It's what the restaurant uses in its recipe. However, if all you can find is yellow corn, this salsa will still be spectacularly delicious.
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Chipotle Fresh Tomato Salsa CopycatYou only need five ingredients (plus salt and pepper) to make this vibrant salsa, which livens up just about everything it's paired with. Although this fresh tomato salsa is delicious the day it's made, it gets even better the longer it sits—double the recipe so you can snack on salsa and veggies or chips all week.
Chipotle Tomatillo-Red Chili Salsa CopycatThis recipe isn't an
exact replica of Chipotle's fiery red salsa, but it's a great "close enough" option if you don't have access to fresh tomatillos. If you like your salsa extra spicy, don't hold back when adding the
hot sauce!
Chipotle Carnitas CopycatCarnitas is arguably one of the most popular meats at Chipotle. Though there's no shortage of winning options on the menu, it was the irresistible slow-roasted spiced pork that put Chipotle on the map when it opened its first location in Denver, Colorado, in 1993.
Chipotle Steak Tacos CopycatFire up the grill to make these Chipotle-inspired flank steak tacos, topped with a simple fresh salsa made explosive with fresh lime juice. For even more delicious acidity, serve these tacos with
pickled red onions.
Chipotle Chicken Tacos Copycat with Avocado SalsaAs good as these chicken tacos are, the real star of this copycat recipe is the easy-to-make avocado salsa, which you'll want to eat straight out of the bowl. Let your guests choose between crispy corn tortillas or soft flour tortillas, just like you would at Chipotle.
Chipotle Cheese Quesadillas CopycatIf you don't want to worry about ordering a quesadilla ahead of time for pickup at Chipotle, you can make quesadillas at home instead. This is a basic, easy
quesadilla recipe everyone should know how to make, and once you do, you can start experimenting with all sorts of additional fillings.
Chipotle Veggie Burrito CopycatPerfect for
meatless Mondays, no one will miss the meat when you dish up these satisfying burritos bursting with a fresh filling. Double the recipe, and you can eat the leftovers for Taco Tuesday! Include guacamole for an even closer copycat recipe.
Chipotle Steak Salad CopycatThis vibrant flank steak salad is easy and quick to prepare, tastes delicious and is a healthy dinner all on one plate. For a non-Chipotle-inspired take, toss this salad with
blue cheese dressing instead of the recommended vinaigrette, or maybe a drizzle of
homemade steak sauce. Learn how to make a copycat of
Chipotle vinaigrette.
Updated: Jan. 22, 2024
