Eat This Not That Review: Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl
Author: WIBIA | Filed under: Eat This Not That, Food Reviews, Recommended: Chain Restaurant, Recommended: Fast Food
You might not be that shocked, but I have picked up about 5-10 lbs. since I started the blog about 2 months ago. I want to keep the blog going, but my waistline can’t afford many more Burger King Steakhouse XT.
So I bought the book “Eat This, Not That!” by David Zinczenko. As I looked at some of the substitutions, I wondered if the healthier version could stand up in taste. The point of these reviews are to decide if a normal guy with a big appetite can stomach these substitutions.
What I Ate: Chicken Burrito Bowl. $5.95
Chicken, lettuce, black beans, tomatillo salsa and sour cream. I added a scoop of mild salsa as well. Ditching rice, cheese and tortilla will save you over 500 calories and 22 g of fat.
I have to admit, it was not the same experience. There is something special about navigating a big burrito. Although I missed the experience, I can’t say that I missed the taste. It was almost identical. The missing tortilla was a non factor, but adding rice would’ve been… nice. Had to do it.
Would I Buy It Again? Yes. Chipotle’s fresh ingredients took center stage and I still left happy and full. I am not sure if I would do the bowl at Qdoba as I think they are a step lower in quality. With that being said I might skip Qdoba regardless.
-WIBIA
I love Chipotle. I always have to prepare for the “Chipotle Coma” that follows the meal though…the carb overload knocks me out for at least 4 hours. I like mixing half medium corn salsa with the mild tomato pico de gallo…and always black beans….it’s a strong combo.
Yeah…I’m not so much a fan of Chipotle, too much “hype” for me. My brothers freakin’ love the place. I don’t eat burritos though and that’s probably why I don’t care for it.
Come on…sometimes the best have to sacrifice themselves (eating that Double Bacon Western BBQ Sourdough 2×2 Burger
) for the good of the people!
Chipotle isn’t as “fresh” as you think – most of the stuff is now prepared off site – the barbacoa, lettuce, tomatoes, chips and the pork are all prepared in a commissary kitchen and then heated up on site – yuck! It appears fresher because it is so spicy. I would choose Qdoba any day, just add spicy salsa if you want it hotter.
Isn’t Chipotle owned by McDonald’s? I have been to 3 different Chipotle locations and have not been impressed by anything I have ordered. I would take Qdoba over Chipotle without thinking. They are similar so maybe it just comes down to personal preference.
Well, I warned everyone we would argue. Chipotle spun off from MCD. They are based out of Denver and traded on the NYSE as CMG. Not sure what the current relationship is with MCD, I just want to eat a big burrito and then take a nap.
If you want a burrito but with fewer calories, simply eat 1/2 a burrito, or 2/3 or whatever… you get the idea. “Eat this Not That” gives the erroneous impression that calories are a measure of healthfulness (i.e., fewer = more healthy). This is absurd. Calories are a measure of portion size and caloric density of a food. Nuts are full of good nutrition, but you need to limit the quantity because they are full of fat (more calories per ounce). Any food can be lower in calories if you simply cut the portion size. How a restaurant sizes a portion is fairly arbitrary in the scheme of things, so this should not be the end-all of what is “healthy.” Not to mention that the term “healthy” has a legal definition when applied to food products and restaurant meals, but you’d never know it because it isn’t enforced or well known. And that definition has nothing to do with calories, because it assumes FDA-defined portion sizes (much smaller than what restaurants shovel out), so that we aren’t comparing big apples to small oranges.
Thanks so much for the advice! I am always trying to find the “healthy” way around eating my favorite foods!!
I think its more of a personal taste, like if you had Qdoba before you had Chipotle you are going to favor Chipotle vice versa…I personally LOVE Qdobas chicken queso burritos, but I prefer Chipotle when it comes to the bowls.
That is any food really. I agree, I like Chipotle bowls better. I like Chipotle’s salsa better as well.