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Creamy Chipotle Chicken
5 from 9 votes

Creamy Chipotle Chicken

When you're in the mood for rich layers of flavor from chipotle sauce and roasted garlic-infused olive oil, this EASY skillet chicken recipe is PERFECT! There's lots of creamy chipotle sauce that's just begging to be sopped up in this family favorite Mexican-inspired recipe!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 566 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

  • 6 garlic peeled, whole cloves
  • ½ cup olive oil virgin or extra-virgin
  • 2 pounds chicken thigh or breasts, boneless, skinless
  • 3 chipotles in adobo sauce or to taste, including all the sauce
  • diced tomatoes See Notes, canned, 14-ounce can
  • crushed tomatoes See Notes, canned, 14-ounce can
  • 2 lime juiced, medium
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
  • ½ cup white onion finely diced, or yellow onion
  • ½ cup heavy cream half-and-half may be substituted
  • ½ cup queso fresco optional and to taste
  • ¼ cup cilantro finely minced; optional and to taste, fresh

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 325F. To a small oven-safe skillet, pan, or ramekin, add the whole garlic, pour the olive oil over the top, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes. Garlic is done when it's lightly browned, very fragrant, and almost sweet-smelling. Tip - Start checking at 20 minutes since all ovens bake differently so you don't burn it.
  2. Pour a little over half the oil into a small container and set aside. Place the garlic into the canister of a high-speed blender; set aside.
  3. Pour about 3 tablespoons into a large skillet, add the chicken, and cook over medium heat. Flip intermittently to ensure even cooking. Tip - Do not crowd the pan. If necessary cook your chicken in batches and set the cooked chicken aside on a platter. After all the chicken has been cooked, remove it; set it aside. Keep the skillet because you will use it in step 5.
  4. To the canister of the high-speed blender with the roasted garlic, add the chipotles and adobo sauce, tomatoes, lime juice, salt, pepper, and blend until smooth and pureed.** (See Notes)
  5. To the skillet, add a bit more of the reserved garlic-infused olive oil, onions, and saute over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  6. Add the chipotle and tomato puree to the skillet and stir to combine.
  7. Turn the heat to medium-low, add the cream, stir to combine, and cook for 1 minute.
  8. Add the chicken back into the skillet, spoon the sauce over the chicken, and allow the chicken to very gently simmer in the sauce for about 5 minutes.
  9. Taste the sauce and check for seasoning balance. If desired, add additional salt, pepper, or for a kick, add a couple shakes of cayenne pepper.
  10. Serve chicken and sauce over rice, with garlic or French bread, or a salad. Optionally garnish with queso fresco and/or cilantro, to taste.
  11. Extra chicken will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Extra reserved garlic-infused olive oil will keep airtight for at least 2 weeks in the fridge. Tip - he extra garlic olive is great for sautéing or cooking any other meat. Or drizzle it over a salad or roasted vegetables for an explosion of flavor!

Notes

  • *I prefer fire-roasted tomatoes but regular tomatoes are okay. Garlic-roasted are nice too and will add extra garlic flavor. Fire-roasted have a bit more "heat" than regular, to be noted if you don't want to add any heat.
  • **I don't think that my chipotle chicken recipe is spicy per se, but there is definite flavor with a bit of a kick but not what I would call spicy.
  • I used three chipotle peppers with most of the sauce from the can of chipotles in adobo sauce. This adds a nice amount of depth of flavor without it being spicy. However, if you're very sensitive to heat, I suggest using one or maybe two chipotles and only a small amount of the sauce from the can. For those of you who love heat like I do, feel free to use all the chipotles, all the sauce. And if you want to take it step further, add a few shakes of cayenne pepper to kick the heat level way up.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Calories 566kcal (28%) Carbohydrates 14g (5%) Protein 41g (82%) Fat 40g (62%) Saturated Fat 12g (60%) Polyunsaturated Fat 27g (159%) Cholesterol 214mg (71%) Sodium 959mg (40%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 6g (12%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 566

% Daily Value*

Serving 1
Calories 566kcal 28%
Carbohydrates 14g 5%
Protein 41g 82%
Fat 40g 62%
Saturated Fat 12g 60%
Polyunsaturated Fat 27g 159%
Cholesterol 214mg 71%
Sodium 959mg 40%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 6g 12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.