This 15 Minute Creamy Chipotle Chicken is a great meal to rely on when you need good food NOW.
It's fast, easy, and exploding with flavor. Tough to beat that right?
Keep in mind that using 3 chipotles will make your dinner ultra-fiery! But you can always make it a bit milder by going easy on the chipotles.
How To Make Creamy Chipotle Chicken
This dish is also the ideal ambassador for chipotles in adobo:
Chipotles start out life as a fully ripened red jalapeno, then they get dried, smoked, and stored in a tangy adobo sauce.
They're exploding with smoky, tangy heat and I use this wonder ingredient all the time -- it's a simple, efficient way to bring a complete, satisfying flavor to any dish. More recipes you can make with Chipotles in Adobo.
In other words...
We're going to let the chipotles do all the heavy lifting in this recipe. Our job is to sit back and take all the credit 🙂
You'll need a single pound of chicken for this recipe -- I used two boneless chicken breasts but there is leeway on the chicken cut.
To make this meal even quicker, I usually slice the breasts in half lengthwise -- this will allow them to cook in a matter of minutes without toughening up.
Season the chicken and cook each side for a few minutes in a couple tablespoons of butter.
Once the chicken has lightly browned on both sides you can remove it from the pan, setting it aside for a moment. Don't worry about cooking it all the way through as there is a final simmer coming up.
Finely chop 1/2 small onion and add it to the pan -- there will probably be enough butter leftover to cook the onion but if not you can add another knob.
Once the onion has softened we'll add a minced garlic clove and briefly cook, then adding 2 tablespoons of flour.
Adding flour directly to the pan like this will temporarily clump it up, but I like giving the flour some direct contact with heat to neutralize its flavor.
But keep in mind that this flour is just used to thicken up the sauce, so you can consider this step optional as it won't affect the final flavor of the dish.
Then we'll add the following ingredients:
1.5 cups stock
3 chipotles in adobo
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano More info on Mexican oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly cracked black pepper
And don't forget that you can use less chipotle for a milder batch!
Note: I'm still in the habit of scraping out the seeds of chipotles as they tend to harden over time, but this step is optional. More info on working with chipotles in adobo.
Once this mixture is up to temp we'll add it to a blender or food processor and combine well.
Return this mixture to the pan and drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream, cooking gently over medium-low heat.
Note: I used medium-high heat to cook the chicken, but for the cream cookin' I used a bit under medium.
Once this creamy chipotle mixture starts to simmer I usually test for salt.
Keep in mind that the exact salt level will depend on which stock you're using. I used some of this recent chicken stock that has zero sodium, so I added another generous pinch of salt -- approximately 1/2 teaspoon total for this batch.
Looking good!
Once this mixture is lightly simmering you can add the chicken back into the pan.
Cook for a few minutes or until you feel like the chicken is completely cooked through (or 160F on the insides).
These were thinly sliced so they needed just a few minutes to come up to temp while swimming in the sauce.
Serve immediately with your choice of garnish. I topped with some freshly chopped cilantro but this is optional.
For quick meals I just plop the chicken over some rice and drench it with the awesome chipotle sauce.
So good!
It's such a quick, easy meal but don't let its simplicity deceive you! The creamy chipotle sauce will taste like it took hours to make, and as you're friends and family gobble it down they will give you all the credit for it 🙂
Enjoy!!
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Creamy Chipotle Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken (I used 2 boneless chicken breasts)
- 1.5 cups stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1-3 chipotles in adobo
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 small onion
- 2 tablespoons flour (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- freshly cracked black pepper
- freshly chopped cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- I usually slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, this will allow them to cook quickly without toughening up. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper. Heat up 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet or saucepan. Cook the chicken for a few minutes on both sides -- I use a tad over medium heat on my stove. Once the chicken is lightly browned on both sides you can remove the chicken pieces from the pan, setting them aside for now. Note: there's a final simmer coming up so I'm not too worried about cooking the chicken all the way through just yet.
- Finely chop 1/2 small onion and add it to the pan. There will probably be enough butter leftover to cook it, but if not feel free to add another knob. Cook the onion for a few minutes until softened -- I usually lower the heat to a tad under medium for the rest of the cream-based recipe. Add a minced garlic clove and briefly cook, then add 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir well for a couple minutes -- it will temporarily clump up, but I like to give the flour some direct contact with heat to neutralize its flavor. Note: this flour step will thicken up the sauce but you can consider it optional.
- Add the following ingredients to the pan: 1.5 cups stock, 3 chipotles in adobo (or less for milder batch), 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and some freshly cracked black pepper. Note: I usually scrape out the seeds of the chipotles as they tend to harden over time, but this is optional.
- Bring this mixture up to temp and then add it all to a blender or food processor, combining well. Return the mixture to the same pan and drizzle in 1/2 cup heavy cream, stirring regularly to combine well. Gently bring this creamy mixture up to a simmer (a tad under medium heat on my stove). Give it a final taste for seasoning -- I added another generous pinch of salt to this batch but keep in mind the exact salt level will depend on which stock you're using. I used a zero sodium chicken stock so I had to add a bit more salt.
- Once the creamy chipotle sauce is gently simmering you can add the chicken pieces back to the pan. Give them enough time in the pan to come back to temp and fully cook through. These were thinly sliced so they only needed a few more minutes in the simmering sauce.
- Serve immediately with your choice of garnish. I topped with freshly chopped cilantro. For quick meals simply plop the chicken over some cooked white rice and drench it with the delicious creamy chipotle sauce. Enjoy!!
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Melissa G
My fiancé is Korean and I’m Mexican. He’s never tried chipotle’s in adobo sauce before so I wanted to introduce it to him. We made this dish together and we loved it so much. Definitely will be making this together again~
Patrick
Ahh good news, so glad you guys tried this one out. Cheers.
Dominique
I don't always write reviews but when I do, I mean it. I appreciate this recipe so much. I've never used chipotle peppers but wanted to and came across this recipe. I love the flavor they impart and I'm excited about that, but aside of that I love this quick and easy recipe and all the tips like to remove the seeds. This is so delicious and versatile. I can't wait to try with shrimp and adding veggies etc. Thanks for this great recipe! Lick the bowl type yummy.
Patrick
Thanks Dominique! So glad to hear you have discovered chipotles, they are the ultimate kitchen secret weapon 🙂 Cheers.
Diane
Absolutely delicious and not complicated at all. I used boneless skinless chix thighs because that's what I had on hand. They were nice and tender after simmering in the sauce. Used only 2 small chipotles and a spoonful of adobo sauce because my dinner guest is sensitive to heat but the sauce still had plenty of flavor. This recipe is a keeper and I'll be doing it again for sure. Thank you for sharing!
Patrick
Ahh good news, glad you tried this one out Diane!
T Clark
Fantastic! I used large chicken breasts, seared, and finished simmering in the sauce - so juicy, so flavorful!
Patrick
Thanks T!
Pilar
Absolutely love this. Now I'm making the sauce to use with other proteins. Tomorrow with pan fried fish. Love the sauce.
Patrick
Thanks Pilar, so glad you tried this one out! Cheers.
Kellis
I had a can of chipotles in adobo I wanted to use and stumbled upon this recipe. It’s SO delicious. I used 2 peppers and it packed plenty of heat! It’s so good I can’t stop eating it though. Yum! Loved how it didn’t use a ton of ingredients and was fast. Definitely adding this to the rotation. Thank you!
Patrick
Ahh good to hear, so glad you tried this one out Kellis! Cheers.
Don Harris
I made this for our supper tonight. This recipe will for sure go in my keep file. It was great. I did put 3 teaspoons of adobe sauce in though. This will go in my rotation.
Patrick
Ahh good to hear, thanks much Don! Cheers.
Christina
I are BIG fans of chipotles in adobo🥰 one of our favorite flavors! I’m going to try this with ‘tofu steaks’ and sub in coconut cream for the dairy (which I know will affect the flavor somewhat). Bet it’ll still be great though! Thanks for the recipes!
Patrick
Ahh thanks much for the inspiration Christina! I'd like to try a vegan version of this sauce someday too. Cheers.