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!

Just because you’re preparing a meal to consume as leftovers does not mean it can’t be exciting. I don’t know about you, but mango salsa with chipotle lime chicken is a very exciting lunch to me.

The mango salsa really takes this one up a notch. Or five! And it contrasts oh so well with the smokey spicy flavors of the chipotle chicken. Serve it all over some zingy lime rice with a quick and easy homemade dressing? Sign me up for this lunch club please!

Literally every bite will be bursting with sweet, spicy, limey goodness. You’re gonna be impressed with yourself after this one comes out of your kitchen. Chicken and rice has never looked so good!

Note: I’ve rated this recipe as moderate because of the total time and number of ingredients required to make it. It’s definitely a step-up from a basic meal prep recipe, but each component is simple to make on its own. Give this one a try if you want to step out of your cooking comfort zone a little bit and try new flavors!

What are the ingredients in this Chipotle Lime Chicken Meal Prep?

You should be able to find all the required ingredients for this recipe at your local grocery store. I recommended heading to Mexican foods aisle to locate the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.

Here’s a list of ingredients that I used in this recipe, and a little helpful info for each:

• chicken – Both chicken thighs and chicken breasts will work for this recipe, but if you do use chicken breasts, be sure they’re thin sliced and the thick parts are pounded down. If the chicken takes too long to cook, the sugar in the marinade will burn.
• olive oil – Here, we’re using olive oil in the marinade and as a base for the chipotle lime dressing.
• chipotles in adobo sauce – This is our star ingredient! You can get chipotles in cans of adobo from the Mexican aisle at the grocery store. That sauce is precious stuff!
• maple syrup – In order to balance out all the spice from the chipotles and the acidity from the lime, a bit of sweetness is necessary! I like to use maple syrup for the flavor and ease of mixing it into a sauce or marinade.
• paprika – This adds another layer of flavor from ground up red peppers. I personally love paprika!
• lime – Our other star ingredient! This recipe uses three limes total, with the juice and zest spread between the four components – chicken marinade, mango salsa, chipotle lime dressing, and in the lime rice!
• garlic – A good chicken marinade isn’t complete without garlic. I used two cloves finely minced, but you can use as many as your heart desires.
• white rice – We chose white rice for the grain in this recipe, but you can use your favorite grain. Just be sure to add some fresh lime juice over the top!
• chicken broth – This is totally my preference, but I always love to pass it along: cook your rice in chicken broth and then add a little salt for maximum depth of flavor!
• mango – I used two mangos to get the right amount for four potions of salsa. Pick a mango that you can feel has a little give to it – firm mangos aren’t ripe yet!
• red onion – Red onion is not my favorite type of onion, but sometimes it’s is required in a fresh setting to give that contrasting bite of flavor! I wouldn’t skip this, but add more or remove some depending on your preferences.
• cilantro – Use the cilantro for both the mango salsa, and for topping off the entire meal. Even better if you can add some fresh after reheating!

How do you make these Chipotle Lime Chicken Meal Prep?

There are four main components to this recipe – each is fairly simple on its own. You’ve got the chicken, the lime rice, mango salsa, and the chipotle lime dressing. My instructions will help you get it done in the right order and all packed up for meal prep.

Start by marinating the chicken. For best flavor, you’ll want to marinate the chicken for at least an hour, but overnight works too. In a large bowl, whisk together the all of the marinade ingredients. Add the prepared chicken breasts, then use tongs to toss the chicken until it’s well coated. Set that aside in the fridge while you make the rest of the components.

The next parts can be done in any order – components can be stored in the fridge or set to cool while you work on other parts. If I’m assembling right away, I’ll make the rice next. If I’m moving slow, I’ll make the refrigerated parts and save the rice cooking for later.

To get the rice started, rinse it in a fine mesh sieve until it runs clear, then dump it into a heavy bottomed saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Stir in the chicken broth or water and salt, then set over a high heat.

Once the water is boiling, allow it to cook until the level reaches the level of the rice, then put the lid on and turn the heat down to low. Cook for another 8 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat without removing the lid.

After 5 minutes, stir in the lime juice and zest as you fluff it up with a fork. After that, I like to put the lid back on and let it cool while I continue with the mango salsa and the chipotle lime dressing.

For the mango salsa, get it going by cutting the mango, then tossing the salsa ingredients together in a small bowl. Season it with a sprinkle of salt to balance the flavors and then set it in the fridge. 

For the dressing, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, or shake it up together in a mason jar with lid. The dressing is quite tangy from the lime – add more maple syrup, olive oil, adobo sauce or salt to match your preferences. Don’t be afraid to adjust!

Finally, remove the chicken from the fridge a few minutes before cooking to let it come to room temperature. 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 (6-9 minutes) on each side until it has 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.

Use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165F. Remember, any thicker pieces might take longer to cook, which is why it’s a good idea to pound them to an even thickness. Remove the chicken from the heat, rest for 5-10 minutes, then slice or dice it.

This meal is incredible when it’s just made, but also incredible reheated. As long as you’ve got your components separated, reheating is easy. More on that below!

How do you cut a mango?

Don’t be intimidated by mango (like I was for a while…) when they’re not complicated at all. Knowing where to make the original cuts is the most important part.

To cut the mangos, stand them up and rotate so the longer length is running parallel to your knife. Make one cut straight down on each side of the pit. Next, cut a grid pattern into the mango slice, being careful not to go all the way through. Finally, use a spoon to scoop out all the precut pieces.

For a step-by-step guide and helpful mango cutting photos, read How to Cut a Mango 3 Ways from Ambitious Kitchen.

How long should I marinate the chicken before cooking it?

For best flavor, you should marinate the chicken for at least one hour or up to overnight before cooking.

Best tips for making this meal prep lunch recipe:

Here are my best tips for making these meal prep bowls successfully in your own kitchen:

• Look for similarly sized chicken breasts, and do your best to cut them into equal size pieces. This helps them cook more evenly! If you don’t want to cut any chicken, go for chicken thighs.
• When cooking the chicken, watch carefully to get a nice char but avoid burning!
• It might seem like an extra step, but storing your mango salsa and dressing separately really makes the difference in this recipe. Don’t skip that part!

Ways to customize this recipe:

Here are some ideas on how to customize this recipe:

• Swap the mango for pineapple to create and pineapple salsa instead!
• Swap the grain – try my cilantro lime quinoa, use brown rice, or whatever you’d enjoy for lunch
• Don’t like chipotle flavor? Do a lime taco vibe instead – season the chicken the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder.

Where do you get those containers?

In these photographs, I used 3-Cup Pyrex Rectangle Glass Containers (affiliate link!) for the complete meal prep and it was the perfect size for this meal.

For the mango salsa, keep this separate by packing in Reusable Silicone Baking Cups (affiliate link!). Before reheating, simply lift the cup out of the glass container.

For the chipotle lime dressing, I used these salad dressing containers (affiliate link!). These containers have tight fitting lids and fit perfectly into the larger glass container.

How do you meal prep these Chipotle Lime Chicken Bowls?

This recipe was developed specifically for meal prep and makes a delicious make-ahead meal for lunch or dinner. There are also a couple different ways to do some prep and save time later if that’s your thing. Here are some options:

1. Prep for the week: Make the recipe as written, and then portion the ingredients evenly into four meal prep containers and enjoy throughout the week. Be sure to portion the mango salsa and salad dressing separately.
2. Ingredient prep: Save yourself time on cooking day by marinating the chicken overnight. You can also prepare the lime rice ahead of time if needed.
3. Ingredient freeze: You can prep and cook the chipotle chicken ahead of time and then freeze – this can be frozen individually in my favorite meal prep tool – these 1-Cup Souper Cubes Trays (affiliate link!).
4. Enjoy now & later: Prepare all the ingredients and make the recipe as written. Eat some for lunch or dinner right now, then save the rest in airtight containers and enjoy over the next 4 days.

I would not recommend freezing this complete meal prep meal, but I do think a couple of the components are freezer-friendly. The cooked chicken can be frozen, as well as the cooked rice. Both can be frozen individually in my favorite meal prep tool – these 1-Cup Souper Cubes Trays (affiliate link!).

For best results, store the mango salsa and dressing separately (or easily removable) from the chicken and rice. Here’s how to store this recipe for meal prep:

1. Divide the rice and cooked chicken between 4 meal prep containers.
2. If you plan to eat these cold, spoon the mango salsa over the rice, and divide the dressing into 4 separate sauce containers.
3. If reheating, keep the mango salsa seperate or easily removable (I use these Reusable Silicone Baking Cups (affiliate link!) for this purpose).

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. 

Did you make this? I want to see how it turned out! Tag me in your social media post @projectmealplan and use #projectmealplan when you share!

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Recipe developed by Rachel Phipps.