Chipotle is famous for a lot of things, but most notably, its fresh ingredients and its cilantro-lime rice. A quick Google search will turn up tons of people trying to replicate Chipotle’s fan-favorite rice with copycat recipes, but nothing quite compares to the original, which is why Chipotle’s latest news is so tough to swallow on this National Margarita Day.
Cilantro-lime rice is no doubt delicious, but rice isn’t the healthiest option for our burritos and bowls, so Chipotle is testing quinoa as a replacement for its famous rice at its New York City test kitchen.
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Wait, what? Didn’t quinoa have its moment already? Why is it here now?
Chipotle’s test kitchen started serving quinoa earlier this week, and a spokesperson for the restaurant, Chris Arnold, told Business Insider the quinoa being tested is a blend of “red and gold quinoa tossed with a little citrus juice, cumin, and freshly chopped cilantro.”
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So, it does sound pretty similar to the rice we love, except it’s not rice at all. But is there room for both on a historically very streamlined menu? Traditionally, the super seed known as quinoa is used quite often as a healthier substitute for rice. It’s similar in many ways, except not rice, of course. Are we ready for this change?
Chipotle doesn’t often change up its menu, so when it happens, it’s big news. Remember how long it took for us to get some queso? Usually, we’re on board for a menu switch up, but quinoa? We’re open to trying it, but we’re reserving our excitement for now. There’s no word on whether quinoa will actually roll out to stores across the country, so there’s no need to panic yet. But it probably wouldn’t hurt to go grab some cilantro-lime rice today, you know — just in case.
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