This is one of the few meals that all six people in our family request on repeat! It’s also a super easy family meal that can be thrown together at the last minute and is much less expensive than taking the whole family to Chipotle. You can leave out or add ingredients based on what you have on hand or need to use up. We almost always include black beans, but for some reason I forgot to write them on the grocery list this week and was completely out when I went to make this recipe. And guess what? It was still good!
The base of these bowls is rice, but then each person can load up their bowls with whatever they love! We enjoy adding chicken, cilantro, cheese, lettuce, and grilled onions and peppers. Some other yummy topping possibilities include black olives, chopped onions, and sour cream.
You can eat the chips and salsa on the side or crumble the chips into your bowl — whichever way you prefer. This is also a great meal for hosting as it can accomodate a variety of preferences and food sensitivities!
This post is part of our $10 Dinner Ideas series, brought to you by Brigette on our team! Each week, she shares easy, delicious, and affordable family-friendly dinner ideas that cost less than $10 to make, use everyday ingredients, and are super quick meals.
Homemade Chipotle Bowls Menu:
- Build-Your-Own Rice Bowl Ingredients (Rice, Chicken, Lettuce, Cheese, Cilantro, Peppers/Onions)
- Chips and Salsa
Ingredients for Homemade Chipotle Bowls:
- 1-lb grilled (or cooked however you prefer) chicken strips (Publix) — $1.79
- 1 bag tortilla chips (Walmart) — $1.97
- 2 peppers (Aldi — $2.29 for 3) — $1.53
- 1 onion (Aldi — $2.09 for 2 lbs) — $0.30
- 1 jar salsa (Aldi) — $1.99
- 1 head romaine (Aldi — $2.49 for 3) — $0.83
- 1/2 bunch cilantro (Aldi — $0.79 per bunch) — $.40
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (Aldi — $3.29 for 4 cups) — $1.23
- 6 cups cooked rice (Aldi — $2.35 for 3lbs) — $0.63
- Salt, garlic powder, pepper to taste
Total for Dinner: $10.67 (Serves 6)
How to Make Homemade Chipotle Chicken Bowls:
1. Wash and chop the romaine and cilantro and put each into a bowl.
2. Then, cook the chicken and rice using your favorite method if they aren’t already cooked. (This recipe is a great way to use up leftover cooked rice and/or chicken!)
If you love Chipotle’s cilantro lime rice, be sure to check out my cilantro rice recipe and add a squeeze of lime juice!
3. Put the chips, salsa, and shredded cheese into three separate bowls.
4. Cut the peppers and onions into slices. Sauté with a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from the pan into a bowl and set aside.
5. In the same pan, heat the cooked chicken strips until warm.
6. Serve all of the ingredients buffet-style, letting each person build their own bowl, starting with the rice.
Homemade Chipotle Chicken Bowls
Ingredients
- 1- lb grilled chicken strips or cooked however you prefer (Publix) — $1.79
- 1 bag tortilla chips Walmart — $1.97
- 2 peppers Aldi — $2.29 for 3 — $1.53
- 1 onion Aldi — $2.09 for 2 lbs — $0.30
- 1 jar salsa Aldi — $1.99
- 1 head romaine Aldi — $2.49 for 3 — $0.83
- 1/2 bunch cilantro Aldi — $0.79 per bunch — $.40
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese Aldi — $3.29 for 4 cups — $1.23
- 6 cups cooked rice Aldi — $2.35 for 3lbs — $0.63
- Salt, garlic powder, and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Wash and chop the romaine and cilantro and put each into a bowl.
- Cook the chicken and rice using your favorite method if they aren’t already cooked. (This recipe is a great way to use up leftover cooked rice and/or chicken!)
- Put the chips, salsa, and shredded cheese into three separate bowls.
- Cut the peppers and onions into slices. Sauté with a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from the pan into a bowl and set aside.
- Sliced yellow and orange bell peppers and red onions cooking in a pan.
- In the same pan, heat the cooked chicken strips until warm.
- Serve all of the ingredients buffet-style, letting each person build their own bowl, starting with the rice.
Notes
Nutrition
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More Ideas for Family Dinners Under $10:
- Crustless Spinach Quiche and Whole Wheat Bread
- Easy Chicken Pot Pie
- Baked Chicken Chimichangas and Cilantro Rice
- Baked Potato Bar
- Whole Wheat Pancakes
- Chicken Alfredo and Roasted Carrots
- Breakfast Sandwiches
- Chicken Alfredo Soup and World’s Easiest Biscuits
- Lazy Lasagna Casserole
- Kielbasa and Cabbage Skillet
- Easy Chicken Noodle Soup with Easy 30 Minute Dinner Rolls
And, be sure to check out all our easy dinner recipes here!
If you make this easy family dinner, we’d love for you to leave a review and let us know how it turned out!
FREE One Week Menu Plan!
Done-For-You Dinner Recipes With Simple Ingredients and a Grocery Shopping List!
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Done-For-You Dinner Recipes With Simple Ingredients and a Grocery Shopping List!
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Dairy Queen Free Cone Day 2026
Stop by Dairy Queen any time today, March 19th, to get a FREE small vanilla ice cream cone at participating locations.
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Kroger Deals: $0.99 Franks, $1.49 Talenti, $3.99 Giant Size Cereal, and more!
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If you’re trying to stretch your grocery budget this week, Kroger has you!
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Hot Deals Under $2
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See more Kroger deals this week here.
FREE One Week Menu Plan!
Done-For-You Dinner Recipes With Simple Ingredients and a Grocery Shopping List!
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Teen Easter Basket Ideas (Fun Gifts for Boys & Girls!)
Once kids hit middle school, shopping for Easter baskets can get more tricky. Many options can feel too babyish or like they’d be forgotten by Wednesday — and you can find yourself wandering aisles wondering Do teenagers even care about Easter baskets?
But Easter baskets can be fun for older kids, too! If anything, it can be a great way to say: I see you. I love you. You’re worth celebrating.
If you want some fun Easter basket ideas for teens that actually feel personal, I enlisted the help of my teenagers, Kaitlynn and Silas, to help me share what they’ve loved receiving or would be excited to receive in their Easter baskets this year.
Turns out, there are so many amazing ways to fill an Easter basket with things your teen will genuinely love. These gifts are sure to be a hit with teens of all ages, and we divided them up by girls and guys so that you have plenty of ideas for everyone.
Easter Basket Ideas & Gifts for Teen Girls
1. Summer Fridays Lip Balm
Kaitlynn loves these and has so many of them. They last a long time and make a perfect gift!
2. Touchland Hand Sanitizer
These fit perfectly in a purse or small bag and are so cute. Another great Easter basket gift idea for teen girls!
3. Sol de Janiero Body Mist
You can’t go wrong with any Sol de Janeiro scent. They all smell wonderful and are a favorite with teen girls!
4. Tree Hut Body Scrub
Tree Hut has the best body scrubs! They are so popular and make adorable gifts. Best of all, they come in so many different scents!
5. E newton bracelet
These bracelets are well worth the price. (Crystal here: Kaitlynn bought me one of these for my birthday and I absolutely love it! I wear mine 24/7 and I agree with her that it still looks brand-new!)
6. Tarte Mascara
This is Kaitlynn’s favorite mascara (and she’s tried so many different ones!). It stays on well all day and is so easy to remove at night!
7. EOS Body Lotion
This is the best lotion ever! It’s so hydrating and smells amazing. All of the EOS scents are great gifts.
8. Stanley Tumbler
These Stanley Tumblers are a huge hit among teen girls. They’re available in so many fun colors and patterns too!
9. Natural Life Boho Bandeau
These come in so many different beautiful patterns and there are a number of fun ways you can wear them!
10. Owala Water Bottles
These Owala Water Bottles are so durable and keep water cold for hours. They come in so many fun colors.
Easter Basket Ideas & Gifts for Teen Boys
1. JBL Bluetooth Speakers
We love these speakers from the bass to the sound clarity. And it’s always an amazing gift for teens listening to music with friends or just at home.
2. Nike Dri-fit Crew Socks
Nike dri-fit socks are a must for teenage boys — a nice Easter basket gift!
3. Bluetooth LED Lights
Bluetooth LED Lights are a great idea for a younger teen boy (girls like this one, too)!
4. Cross Chain Necklace
Cross chains are now in style and you can get your son one for under $20. We would recommend an 18-22 inch chain, depending on the size of your teen.
5. Silent Basketball
This is a perfect gift for teen boys, but also for the parents to never get woken up by a basketball getting dribbled in the house again! Get the silent basketball in any color size 7.
6. 3-in-1 Charging Station
This 3-in-1 charging station is amazing for your kid to be able to charge all his devices in one space.
7. KT Athletic Tape
KT Tape is amazing for teenage boys who are always moving and playing sports. The tape helps give support to joints that are sore or bothering you.
8. Timberland Men’s Leather Passcase Security RFID Wallet
This was Silas’ first leather wallet and he loved it. It worked amazing!
Best Devotionals for Teen Easter Baskets
Easter is also a great time to gift teens something that fuels their faith. My roundup of the best devotionals for teens has great picks that would be perfect for adding into a teen Easter basket! Check out the list here.
More Gift Guides
Looking for other budget-friendly gift guides? Don’t miss our big collection of gift guides put together by different members of our team! Here are some of our faves:
- Best Gifts for Tweens Under $30
- 20+ Gifts for Board Game Lovers Under $30
- My 10 Favorite Unique Baby Gifts
- 10+ Eco-Friendly Gifts Under $30
- The Best Outdoor Gift Guide for the Adventurer
- Gifts for Lego Lovers: Perfect For Kids and Adults
- 15+ of the Best Gluten Free Gifts
- 15+ Beauty Product Gifts (Under $30!)
Do you have any other fun teenage Easter basket ideas? We’d love to hear!