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Home » Recipes » Sauces, Dressings and Dip Recipes

Creamy Chipotle Sauce for Chicken

Published: May 23, 2021 · Modified: Mar 16, 2023 by Nicole B.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
9 minutes

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!

Chicken covered in creamy chipotle sauce with rice and green beans.
Jump to:
  • Why make this recipe:
  • What’s in the sauce?
  • Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce:
  • Choose your spice level:
  • How to make it:
  • How to serve it:
  • How to store it:
  • More delicious cream sauces for chicken:
  • Full Printable Recipe
  • Comments

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 cream sauce ingredients on a table.
You need rice vinegar, salt, oregano, olive oil, onion, cumin, tomato paste, cream and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for this recipe.

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.
Bowls with whole and diced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.

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!

Chipotle cream sauce in a cast iron pan.

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:

  • Tarragon cream sauce with roasted tomatoes on a plate.
    White Wine Tarragon Cream Sauce with Egg Yolk
    Cook Time17 Minutes
  • Rosemary cream sauce in a bowl with a spoon.
    Rosemary Cream Sauce for Chicken
    Cook Time5 Minutes
  • Oregano sauce in a bowl with a spoon.
    5-Minute Oregano Sauce
    Cook Time5 Minutes
  • Paprika sauce in a bowl with cilantro.
    Spicy Smoked Paprika Sauce for Chicken
    Cook Time12 Minutes

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Thanks!

Full Printable Recipe

Chicken covered in creamy chipotle sauce with rice and green beans.

Creamy Chipotle Sauce for Chicken

The Spice Train
This spicy and delicious creamy chipotle sauce for chicken is made with canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Makes about 1 cup of sauce.
5 from 1 vote
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Cook Time 9 mins
Total Time 9 mins
Course Condiments and Sauces
Cuisine American
Servings 2
Calories (estimated) 223 kcal

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:

*Instead of 1 chipotle pepper and 2 teaspoons adobo sauce you can also use 3 ½ teaspoons diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from a jar of diced chipotle peppers.

Nutrition Information (Estimated):

Calories: 223kcalCarbohydrates: 6.6gProtein: 2.2gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 11.1gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 480mgPotassium: 174mgFiber: 2.3gSugar: 2.3gCalcium: 58mgIron: 2mg

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.

Keywords: chipotle cream sauce, chipotle cream sauce with heavy cream, creamy chipotle sauce for chicken

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    Spicy Chipotle Honey Cilantro Dressing
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debra

    May 21, 2022 at 4:12 pm

    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.

    Reply

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