Rich and flavorful Creamy Chipotle Chicken is a simple yet delicious weeknight dinner recipe that can be ready to serve in just 30 minutes!
Subtly smoky and packed with the perfect punch, this Creamy Chipotle Chicken is destined to be a family favorite. This simple dinner comes together in just 30 minutes and can be served over rice, making it the perfect recipe when you’re running low on time and energy!
FULL OF FLAVOR, NOT CALORIES
Fun fact- There’s no cream in this Creamy Chipotle Chicken! This super flavorful and robust sauce gets its creamy texture from 1/3 fat cream cheese and a little non-fat Greek yogurt. These alternatives cleverly deliver the creamy sauce you crave without the guilt!
If you love this healthier-for-you chicken dinner recipe then chances are you’ll love Crock Pot Pork Chops and Southwest Chicken Salad.
OTHER RECIPES TO SERVE WITH CREAMY CHIPOTLE CHICKEN
- Baked Brown Rice – Serve this chicken over a scoop of simple and delicious baked brown rice.
- Roasted Asparagus – This simple roasted asparagus pairs perfectly with this Creamy Chipotle Chicken.
INGREDIENTS
Chicken: This recipe calls for 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts seared in extra-virgin olive oil.
Sauce Base: Creamy chipotle sauce starts with low-sodium chicken broth, adobo sauce, and cream cheese. You’ll also add plain, non-fat Greek Yogurt at the end to add even more creaminess.
Veggies: This sauce is enhanced with onion, garlic cloves, and of course, chipotle peppers.
Seasoning: Keep it simple with some kosher salt and black pepper.
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY CHIPOTLE CHICKEN
STEP ONE: Start by heating some extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While the oil heats, season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add them to the skillet. Sear the chicken for 4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown. Next, remove the chicken breasts from the skillet to a plate and cover them with foil to keep them warm.
STEP TWO: Once the chicken is removed, reduce the skillet heat to medium and add some more olive oil to the pan. Add the diced onion and cook it for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onions are softened, add the minced garlic and chipotle peppers and sauté them for 30 seconds. Now add the adobo sauce, chicken broth, and cream cheese. Stir the sauce together until it is melted.
STEP THREE: Next, return the seared chicken breasts to the skillet along with any juices that may have accumulated. Turn the chicken in the sauce to coat it and cover the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the chicken for 7-9 minutes or until the breasts are fully cooked through.
STEP FOUR: Once the chicken is cooked, stir in 2-3 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt. Season Creamy Chipotle Chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with extra sauce spooned over the top and enjoy!
TIPS FOR SUCCESS
- To save time, chop your veggies while the chicken breasts are searing.
- Once seared, remove the chicken breasts to a plate and cover them with foil. You will finish cooking the chicken in a later step so don’t worry if it’s not completely cooked through yet.
- Cook time on the chicken breasts will depend on their thickness. Chicken should always reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
HOW SPICY IS CREAMY CHIPOTLE CHICKEN?
Chipotle peppers average somewhere around medium on the mild to hot scale. They pack about the same amount of heat as jalapenos. If you’re worried about the spice level of this recipe, start with 1 or 2 peppers and add more if desired. You can typically find chipotle peppers in the Latin food aisle of your grocery store. They also come canned, often in an adobo sauce which is super convenient for this Creamy Chipotle Chicken recipe.
HOW LONG DO CHICKEN LEFTOVERS LAST IN THE FRIDGE?
As a general rule, chicken leftovers stored properly in the fridge will last for 3-4 days. You can also freeze cooked chipotle chicken in an airtight, freezer-safe container. When you’re ready to defrost it, let it thaw in the fridge overnight prior to reheating.
OTHER CHIPOTLE FLAVORS
- Chipotle Tomato Wedge Salad Recipe
- Slow Cooker Chipotle Ranch Chicken
- Cheesy Bacon Chipotle Ranch Dip
- Easy Chipotle Chicken Nachos
- Smokey Chipotle Corn Dip
- Cheesy Chipotle Fries
*This post was originally posted on 05/18/2017.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons olive oil divided
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup yellow onion peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 chipotle peppers minced
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- Fresh parsley or cilantro chopped, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken to the hot pan and sear for 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. (They will finish cooking later.)
- Reduce the heat of the skillet to medium and pour the remaining olive oil into the pan. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and chipotle peppers and saute for another 30 seconds.
- Add adobo sauce, chicken broth, and cream cheese to the skillet and stir until the cheese has melted into the sauce. Return the chicken breasts to the skillet, along with any accumulated juices on the plate. Turn the chicken to coat in the sauce.
- Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 7-9 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. (Cooking time will depend on how thick the chicken breasts are.) I like to spoon some of the sauce over the chicken breasts halfway through the cooking time.
- Once the chicken is cooked (165 degrees F internal temp), turn off the heat and stir in the Greek yogurt. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm with extra sauce spooned over the chicken and some parsley or cilantro for garnish.
Robyn says
Perfect in every way! I will definitely be making this again soon. Hubby loved it!
Caroline W. says
This was delicious! I’m a huge fan of skillet chicken recipes with cream sauces. The sauce was absolutely to die for, and for me, the level of spicy was perfect. I put it over some Mexican brown rice (made with Goya Sazon, of course) and added some fajita vegetables. It tasted incredible.
Sharon says
So delicious!! Definitely going into the rotation
Alicia Wengreen says
My husband and I give this a 10/10!
It was perfectly delicious! The sauce was rich and creamy! It had the perfect amount of spice! My husband said, “It’s like a party in my mouth!”
Jeanne says
This was just delicious and easy! From prior experience with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, I cut the peppers back to one large plus the specified adobo sauce. It was perfectly hot. It still had enough chipotle flavor to make it exceptional. The whole family loved it and I have shared your post on Facebook. This will be a regular at our dinner table.
Chris says
I made this for my family and it was a real hit! I was nervous about the spiciness, but nobody had a problem with it. We used boneless thighs instead of breasts. This is going in to our rotation.
Aubrey Cota says
Good idea, I should try it this with thighs. Thanks, Chris.
Shani says
I have made this one other time and I absolutely loved every bite!! It was a little spicier that I would have liked personally , but I think i will make it to taste this time. Making this for the family tonight and hope they love it as much as I do.
Aubrey Cota says
Yes, absolutely adjust for your flavor profile! I’m so glad you liked it and I hope everyone else did as well. Thank you, Shani.
Eric says
I live in Thailand and the only chipotles I have are dried as that is what I could bring here. How would I use them in this recipe?
Franciela says
I made this for my boyfriend and I for dinner and wow we loved it I will definitely make this again. Very simple and easy to make I love the flavor and how spicy it was. Also great instructions I knew exactly how to make it thanks for making it easy to follow!
Aubrey Cota says
Awesome! Thank you so much.
Brent says
I just made this and it was so good. I live a keto lifestyle and this dish was perfect for it. I did make a few slight modifications. I used sour cream instead of yogurt because thats what i have around. I also had to add anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 more cup of water because it was getting way to thick. I see a lot of people complaining about the heat level. Yes people it has 3 smoked jalapenos in it. Its going to hot!! I myself love hot food so it was perfect for me but i wouldn’t go feed this to a kid without modifying it somewhat. What you have to understand though is the chipotle not only bring heat but also bring a lot of flavor. Cutting down the # of chipotles will cut some of the smoky flavor that it imparts (maybe adding a little bit of liquid smoke would help i don’t know).
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you!
Kristen says
This was absolutely delicious!!! I agree with the other posts I will try two peppers next time so I can enjoy more of the flavor of the sauce but o m g this was so much better than I had expected and soooo easy! Thank you for an amazing recipe!!
Aubrey Cota says
Yay I’m so glad you like it! Thank you.
Nancy says
Why are you adding the yogurt until the end? I work so I prepare dinner before I leave so my husband can just hear it up and eat. I don’t want to mess it up if I add the tougher before it ready to serve.
Aubrey Cota says
Adding yogurt at the end helps to keep the flavor light and fresh. Sometimes when you add a dairy product in too early it can curdle and be an unpleasant flavor.
Tia Francis says
Just made this for me and my husband. It was soooo yummy but a bit too spicy for me- I’ll
just use two peppers next time. The sauce with the cream cheese was still amazing, you could really put anything in there!!!
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you so much!
Karina says
Okay this sounds so good but what to do when you are not able to get the things you need? Could you help by recommend something othere than adobo sauce? When you live in Scandinavia the “Mexican aisle” only consist of the moste basic Santa Maria TexMex stuff. I have found dried and crushed chipotle peppers? Hope you will share some of your ideas. Thanks in advance.
Aubrey Cota says
You can certainly make your own by breaking down the ingredients, here is one I found online that should be easy enough to obtain all of the components especially if you have access to crushed chipotle peppers: Mix 1 tablespoon tomato paste (or if you must – ketchup), 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (or smoked paprika/cayenne powder mix), 1/2 teaspoon cumin, a pinch of oregano, a pinch of garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. Adjust these proportions to best fit your flavor and spiciness expectations. Hope that helps!
Ryan Branch says
Amaaxing recipe!!! I changed some things but used this as a base idea for my sauce/dish. I added red and green bell peppers and mushrooms and diced roma tomatoes at the end with the yogurt. Everything else i followed exactly, just addition of veggies to make a “whole dish”. Put it all over basmati rice and it was a big hit. Thank you very much for the recipe!! I will be trying your jalepenos cheesy chicken as well.
Aubrey Cota says
Great additions!! Adding veggies to round out the meal is always a plus especially when you have great flavors that work together. So happy to hear it was a hit. Thank you Ryan.
Olivia says
What could i use in place of greek yogurt
Aubrey Cota says
Sour cream would work out just fine.
Nan says
I wish you would revise your recipe to include how many teaspoons of minced chipotle peppers to use instead of each. The three I selected out of the can were apparently too big because the chicken was inedible, it was so hot.
Aubrey Cota says
I’m sorry it turned out too hot for you. Although I must say everyone has their own tolerance of what they consider spicy/hot, something that makes these recipes so great is the ability to adjust the ingredients to suit what works best for you and your family. Hopefully you try this one again!
Huy Nguyen says
I Wonder if this can be use as pasta sauce?
Aubrey Cota says
Certainly!
Kaela says
I’ve used a very similar recipe as a pasta sauce (cayenne pepper with red bell peppers instead of chipotle peppers in adobo), and it worked great. I’ve done it with cream cheese, but I usually use sour cream. Depends on how thick/rich you want it to be. 🙂
Anastasia Beeler says
This was really good. Next time, I will only use 2 peppers though. It was just a tad too spicy for my ten year old.
Shelby says
This looks so good! Do you think this could be done in a slow cooker? I work long days. This would be great to come home to, shred, and turn into a burrito.
Aubrey Cota says
Absolutely!
Kim says
What is Adobe sauce and where do I find it?
Aubrey Cota says
Adobo Sauce: a paste or marinade made from chili peppers, vinegar, herbs, and spices, used in Mexican cooking. You should be able to find it at your local grocery store in the aisle where the Mexican food is housed.
eddy says
Looks great and looks like the leftovers will microwave nicely.