This chicken kitchen mexican chop chop copycat is as addictively delicious as the real thing and pairs perfectly with homemade creamy curry sauce.
Recipe by Jenn Laughlin - peas and crayons on January 19, 2012
Prep time: PT15M
Cook time: PT20M
Total time: PT35M
Rating
5 stars (14 reviews)
Keywords
Chicken Kitchen Mexican Chop Chop Copycat
Ingredients
2 cups Mahatma yellow saffron rice ((cooked))
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts ((grilled))
1 tomato, diced
1 cup mushrooms ((or any veggies you'd like to add))
1-2 cups chopped lettuce
1-2 cups black beans ((drained and rinsed))
2-3 oz grated cheddar cheese
3 TBSP quality mayo ((or try it with yogurt!))
1/2 tsp of curry powder ((plus extra to taste))
1/2 tsp of white vinegar
a pinch of mustard powder + garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Categories
Main Dish
Cuisine
Mexican
Steps
If the restaurant can prep this baby at fast-foodie-like speeds then gosh darn it we can too! The two things that take the longest (the rice and the chicken) can be prepped ahead of time if you love this dish and want to sneak it into weekly rotation (*cough*paul*cough*) and travels super well for work/school lunches. Rambling! So on to the cooking instructions!
Cook your yellow rice via your usual method. While it's cooking, decide what you want your protein to be.
For chicken, simply rub it with your favorite spices and toss it on the grill! Garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, salt/pepper and poultry blends make an amazing combo.
For hot delish veggies we tossed the black beans and mushrooms in a foil packet with a splash of olive oil and popped it on the grill for a few minutes! Foil packets are so freaking money... I always forget to make them but when I do, angels sing a little.They do! They sing "no mess! no clean-up!" and I shed a tear. You've made them before for veggies, right? They're awesome on the grill or in the oven. Let me know if you want me to do a foil pack-a-palooza post.
Ohmygosh this is the post of many rambles! Long story short, cook rice, cook protein, chop veggies, grate cheese and.... toss it all together! Pile the black beans on top of your sunny, colorful rice and pile on the veggies!
For the sauce, whisk together mayo, vinegar and spices and serve room temperature. You can dip your fork in it and then dig in to your chop chop or go ahead and drizzle it all over the place. Its divine!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 524 kcal
Carbohydrates: 26 g
Protein: 41 g
Fat: 29 g
Saturated Fat: 9 g
Cholesterol: 111 mg
Sodium: 450 mg
Sugar: 3 g
Reviews
Danielle on 2022-08-16 (5 stars): You can take the girl out of Miami, but you can't take the love of Chicken Kitchen out of the girl. I moved away years ago and this is exactly what I was looking for! I eyeballed the sauce ingredients and that tang of vinegar is just what I was missing before!
I found a stupid easy hack for this, too: I've got a fancy micom rice cooker, so while the yellow rice cooks, I just stick two bone-in skin-on chicken breasts in the steamer basket so the whole meal cooks at once. I feel lazy even typing this, but it's so worth it for the weeknight ease!! I always worry the chicken will overcook, but if the breasts are big enough and protected by skin and bone, they come out juicy every time. Long grain rice takes about 35 mins in my rice cooker and the chicken drips onto it the whole time. This is extra awesome in the summer when I really don't want to turn the oven on.
Thanks so much for this recipe!! It tastes just perfect, like home
JF on 2020-08-06 (5 stars): So good, and really tastes like chop-chop from Chicken Kitchen in Miami!!! We haven't lived there in 15 years, and this took us right back!
Kelley on 2019-01-13 (5 stars): This creamy curry dressing recipe is absolutely to die for!!! When I moved from Miami to New York, then later on to another part of Florida, the first I searched for was a Chicken Kitchen only to be heartbroken. At that time, I didn’t realize Chicken Kitchen restaurants were located only in Miami and Houston. I’ve longed for their famous creamy curry sauce for 11 years. I admit I was very skeptical and preparing for disappointment when I made this sauce yesterday, knowing it couldn’t possibly hold a candle to my beloved creamy curry sauce made by Chicken Kitchen. Oh, was I wrong! This recipe is every bit as delicious and addicting as the original. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I will be making it all the time!
Damaris on 2013-04-18 (5 stars): Thanks for sharing! We live in Miami and Love Chicken Kitchen, I made this for my hubby the other day and he's loves it more than Chicken Kitchen.
Carriecatherine2 on 2012-04-13 (5 stars): TY,TY,TY I too moved north and miss the Chicken Kitchen! So TY for my favorite Chop-Chop
sandra wiedmaier on 2012-01-30 (5 stars): make this just tonight! substituted plain greek yogurt for mayo (yuck! can't stand mayo) and it was delicious. kids ate everything but separated and without lettuce. win win!
Annabel@Beauty&TheBriefcase on 2012-01-26 (5 stars): I made this yesterday and it was AMAZING! I'm from the UK, so I substituted pilau rice for yellow rice, and only had kidney beans in the cupboard, but it was delish! The dressing is amazing, and my salad-hating-t-rex-boyfriend adored it. Thanks Jen! xxx
