This spicy, creamy chipotle sauce for chicken is easy to make and delicious on grilled chicken breast. It’s creamy, spicy, tangy, full of flavor and turns chicken, rice and beans into a delicious and well-balanced meal.
Be sure to check out more of our delicious homemade cream sauces for chicken!
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Why make this recipe:
- This sauce is deliciously creamy and full of smoky, spicy and tangy flavors that take a simple chicken breast to a whole new level.
- You need only pantry ingredients.
- This sauce is quickly made in a total of 9 minutes.
What’s in the sauce?
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce:
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are dried and smoked jalapenos that are mixed into a spicy and tangy dark red sauce. You can buy these in two different forms:
- Whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (pictured below on the left). These are sold in cans.
- Diced chipotle peppers with adobo sauce (pictured below on the right). These are sold in glass jars.
You can use either product for this recipe. (I personally prefer the diced chipotle peppers in a jar because the chipotles have already been chopped and are therefore easier to handle.)
If you use whole canned chipotles, finely chop 1 pepper and add it along with 2 teaspoons of sauce. If you use the jar of diced chipotles, use 3 ½ teaspoons of that.
Choose your spice level:
The spiciness in this sauce comes from the chopped chipotle pepper and the adobo sauce. To make this sauce spicier, just add more adobo sauce to taste.
How to make it:
See full ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below!
Step 1. This sauce is super simple to make. Saute diced onions in olive oil, then stir in cumin, chipotle peppers, tomato paste and adobo sauce.
Step 2. Stir in rice vinegar, cream, oregano and salt.
How to serve it:
This sauce is fantastic with grilled chicken breast seasoned with this Cuban-inspired spice rub, along with rice and green beans.
How to store it:
If you have any leftover sauce, transfer it into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Gently reheat on the stovetop while stirring continuously.
More delicious cream sauces for chicken:
- White Wine Tarragon Cream Sauce with Egg Yolk17 Minutes
- Rosemary Cream Sauce for Chicken5 Minutes
- 5-Minute Oregano Sauce5 Minutes
- Spicy Smoked Paprika Sauce for Chicken12 Minutes
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Thanks!
Full Printable Recipe
Creamy Chipotle Sauce for Chicken
Equipment:
- measuring cups and spoons
- knife and cutting board
- pan
- wooden spoon
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons mild olive oil
- ½ cup finely diced white or yellow onion (about ¼ of a large onion)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 chipotle pepper out of can,* finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can of chipotle peppers* (more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions:
- Heat the olive oil in a pan until shimmering.
- Add the diced onion and saute until starting to soften (about 3 minutes).
- Stir in the cumin and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Stir in chipotle pepper, chipotle sauce and tomato paste and cook for a minute.
- Stir in the rice vinegar, then the cream, the oregano and the salt.
- Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring continuously, until starting to thicken. Add more chipotle sauce to taste.
Notes:
Nutrition Information (Estimated):
Nutrition values provided on this website are generated from a nutrition database and are estimates only. The accuracy of the nutrition information for any recipe on this website is not guaranteed. Nutrition values can vary quite a lot depending on which brands are used.
Debra
I’ve been looking for a recipe like this one, and really glad I found it. I added a tablespoon of lime juice, but otherwise made it as written.