Creamy Chipotle Chicken

Creamy Chipotle Chicken is quick, healthy, and oh-so delicious! This recipe features pan-seared chicken on a bed of warm tomato-corn salsa and drizzled with a healthy Greek yogurt honey chipotle crema and a sprinkle of cotija cheese and fresh cilantro. The result is a creamy, lightly spicy, and healthy dish that can be on your table in 30 minutes.

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What we LOVE about Creamy Chipotle Chicken

Some of our favorite things about this recipe are…

• Warm tomato corn salsa – this salsa combines garlic, red onion, bell pepper, corn, and cherry tomatoes for a pan warmed salsa that’s bursting with bright flavors.
• Pan-browned chicken – pan-browned chicken is super simple and delicious. All it takes is a nice warm layer of oil or cooking spray (depending on type of pan you use) and chicken coated with a healthy amount of salt and black pepper. Let the hot pan and oil do the rest!
• Healthy honey chipotle crema – this crema uses Greek yogurt in place of heavy cream, making it creamy, but light and healthy. The chipotle in adobo sauce gives this crema a lightly smoky and spicy flavor that’s balanced out with the sweetness from the honey.
• Cotija/feta cheese & herbs – the cotija/feta cheese and fresh cilantro are the perfect garnish to round out this dish. I use feta if I can’t find cotija and both are delicious options.

Bring it all together in a delicious, flavorful dish.

Tips for Cooking with Yogurt:

When we first tested this recipe we made several mistakes with our honey chipotle crema that we don’t want to repeat. Namely, we accidentally curdled our yogurt sauce. Which is not great. So we learned a few tricks to help reduce the chance of curdling/separation.

You’ll know you’ve curdled your sauce if you see the milky white globules separate out from the liquid in the sauce. It will still taste fine and is safe to eat, but it’s not exactly appetizing. So let’s just try to avoid that all together.

Check out these quick tips before diving in.

• Use whole milk Greek or regular yogurt – fat content matters when you’re cooking with a yogurt-based sauce. Higher fat content will help prevent curdling and/or separation when heated. Reduced fat yogurts are much likelier to separate out when heated. There’s a reason most cream sauces use heavy cream. It’s the fats! For warm sauces we definitely recommend whole-milk yogurts. Save the low-fat yogurt for cold dishes and drinks.
• Keep the honey chipotle crema at room temperature – allow the honey chipotle crema to warm to room temperature. This will also help reduce the chance of separation/curdling when added to the pan. We recommend making the crema first. Then cover it and leave it out on the counter while you whip up the chicken and corn salsa.
• Top with crema, don’t mix it in – our last tip is to top the chicken with crema after the skillet has been removed from heat, rather than mixing the crema into the corn salsa in the hot skillet. Again, this will reduce the likelihood of curdling. The best option is to plate the chicken and corn salsa first, then top with room temperature crema.

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How to Make Creamy Chipotle Chicken

Step 1: Make the Honey Chipotle Crema

Start by making the honey chipotle crema. I like to make this first so that the flavors can meld together while I make the rest of the dish.

Whisk together the Greek yogurt, liquid from the chipotles in adobo, honey, salt and pepper in a bowl. Cover and set aside until needed.

Cooking Tip: We recommend leaving it out at room temperature to help prevent curdling/separation when added to the warm skillet just before serving.

Step 2: Brown the Chicken

Next, brown the chicken.

First, season the chicken tenders with roughly ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Divide the salt and pepper among the tenders and make sure to coat both sides.

Next, heat the avocado oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. We recommend using avocado oil because it has a higher smoke point, making it great for pan searing.

Once the pan is hot, add the chicken tenders in a single layer and sear on one side until the chicken is browned (about 4 to 5 minutes). Turn the chicken over and sear on the other side for another 4 to 5 minutes, until browned. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside, covered.

Cooking Tip: Sometimes I like to flatten my chicken with a meat tenderizer. This helps to make all the chicken the same thickness, which will help all the chicken cook the same and it also speeds up the cooking time slightly.

Step 3: Warm Corn Salsa

Once the chicken is removed, reduce heat to medium heat. In the same pan, add the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, corn and garlic and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables soften. Season with cumin, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. You can add more salt and pepper, to taste.

Step 4: Serve Chicken with Honey Chipotle Crema

Finally, add the chicken back to the pan and cover and warm for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Drizzle honey chipotle crema over the chicken. Sprinkle with cotija cheese and cilantro. Serve.

Cooking Tip: We recommend waiting until the end to top chicken with the crema and don’t recommend mixing it into the warm corn salsa. We’ve tried that method in the past and found that the yogurt sauce curdles in the heat. Yuck! Save it for the end, when everything is off heat, for better results. Also make sure to check out our cooking with yogurt tips, above.

Let us know what you think about this recipe for Creamy Chipotle Chicken by dropping a comment or rating below! We love to hear from you. 🙂

Check out these other related dinner recipe ideas:

• Chipotle Shrimp and Cauliflower Rice Bowls
• Healthy Chicken Piccata
• Cilantro Lime Brown Rice
• Shredded Chicken Burrito