Chipotle Lime Chicken Meal Prep

Look forward to lunch when you pack this Chipotle Lime Chicken Meal Prep and mango salsa! With incredible juicy marinated chicken, lime rice, and a tangy lime dressing, you’ll love this bold, sweet and fresh make-ahead meal!

Author: Project Meal Plan

Meal Type: Milk Free

Cuisine: American

Difficulty: MEDIUM

Prep. Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 524 kcal per serving

Ingredients

2 - chicken breasts
1 tbsp - olive oil
2 tablespoons - chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tbsp - maple syrup
½ tsp - paprika
½ tsp - kosher salt
½ - lime juice
2 large cloves - garlic
1 cup - dry white rice
1 ½ cups - low sodium chicken broth
¼ tsp - kosher salt
½ - lime
8 ounces - mango
½ - red onion
½ - lime
large handful - cilantro
salt
1 ½ - limes
1 ½ tablespoons - olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons - maple syrup
½ tbsp - adobo sauce
salt

Instructions

Marinate the chicken: Prepare your chicken (~1.5 pounds) by slicing breasts in half and briefly pounding to ensure an even thickness. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil (1 tablespoon), chipotles in adobo sauce (2 tablespoons, chopped), maple syrup (1 tablespoon), paprika (1/2 teaspoon), salt (1/2 teaspoon), lime juice (from 1/2 lime), and garlic (2 large cloves, minced). Use tongs to toss the chicken until it’s well coated, then set aside to marinate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
Cook the rice: In a fine mesh sieve, rinse the rice (1 cup) under cold water until the water runs clear. Transfer the rice to a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan with a well fitting lid. Stir in the chicken broth (1 1/2 cups) or water and salt (1/4 teaspoon), and set over a high heat. Once the water is boiling, allow it to cook until the level reaches the level of the rice. Put the lid on and turn the heat down to low. Cook for a further 8 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat without removing the lid. After 5 minutes, stir in the lime juice and zest (from 1/2 lime) as you fluff it up with a fork.
Make the salsa: Make the mango salsa by tossing the mango (~8 ounces), red onion (1/2 small, finely diced), lime juice (from 1/2 lime), and cilantro (large handful, chopped) together in a small bowl. Season to taste with a sprinkle of salt to balance the flavors and then set aside.
Make the dressing: Whisk together all the dressing ingredients including the lime juice (from 1 1/2 limes), olive oil (1 1/2 tablespoons), maple syrup (1 1/2 tablespoons), adobo sauce (1/2 tablespoon), and salt (~1/4 teaspoon). It’s quite tangy: if you’d like it to be a little sweeter, add a little more maple syrup. If you’d like it richer, add a little but more oil. Spicier? Add a little more of the adobo sauce! Season with kosher salt to make it taste a little more savory. Set aside for now.
Cook the chicken: Heat a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over a medium heat. Prepare with cooking spray or a splash of olive oil. Shake as much marinade off as possible, then cook the chicken for a few minutes on each side until caramelized and completely cooked through. Be careful not to burn the sugar in the marinade – if this is happening, turn down the heat a bit. Remove from the heat, rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice.
Meal prep it: Divide the rice and cooked chicken between 4 meal prep containers. If you plan to eat these cold, spoon the mango salsa over the rice, and divide the dressing into 4 separate sauce containers. If reheating, keep the mango salsa seperate or easily removable. To reheat, remove your mango salsa and dressing if stored together, then loosely cover with the lid and heat on High in the microwave for 90 seconds, followed by 30 second blasts until the meal is heated through and steaming. Add the mango salsa back on top of the rice and add dressing as needed.

Nutrition