Smoky Honey Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Chipotle-Lime Crema
These tacos started with the chicken. I wanted the meat well seasoned all the way through, with enough chipotle to make its presence known, lime to sharpen everything, and honey to round out the smoke and heat. Once I began making them regularly, I also stopped treating the onions as a separate step. They go straight into the marinade with the sliced chicken, which is exactly where they belong.
The marinade is built around chipotle peppers in adobo, cumin, smoked paprika, ancho chile powder, garlic, lime juice, honey, and a little apple cider vinegar. For a single batch, I puree an entire 7-ounce can of chipotles with its adobo sauce and use half of it for the chicken. The remaining puree can be refrigerated for the crema or frozen for another meal. For a double batch, the whole can goes into the chicken.
That measurement matters. Chipotle peppers vary in size from can to can, and much of their character comes from the adobo surrounding them. Measuring by half a can or a whole can gives me a much more dependable balance of chile and sauce than counting individual peppers.
Chipotles are smoked, dried jalapeño peppers, a preparation firmly associated with Mexican cooking. Chile peppers themselves were domesticated in the Americas, with evidence pointing strongly to what is now Mexico as an important center of domestication. After European contact, chiles spread throughout the world and became essential to cuisines far beyond the Americas.
The taco has its own complicated history. Corn tortillas long predate the modern use of the word "taco," and historians have been careful about assigning a single point of origin to the dish as we recognize it today. Food historian Jeffrey Pilcher has traced documented references to tacos in Mexico to the late nineteenth century and has proposed an earlier connection to eighteenth-century Mexican silver miners, although he has also acknowledged that the exact origin remains uncertain.
That long history of tortillas filled with meat, chiles, onions, and salsa is the background here, although this particular recipe comes directly out of my own kitchen.
For the chicken, I slice boneless, skinless thighs before they ever reach the skillet. The chicken and sliced white onion are tossed together in the marinade and left to sit for at least 30 minutes. When the whole mixture hits a hot cast-iron skillet, the cooking becomes fairly straightforward. The chicken browns, the onions soften, and the marinade begins to reduce around both.
That last part is worth watching. At first there is quite a bit of liquid in the pan. As the chicken cooks, that liquid reduces and concentrates. The honey helps the edges caramelize, while the chipotle and spices become part of the sauce clinging to the chicken and onions. I keep cooking until the chicken reaches 165°F and the pan juices have reduced enough to coat everything rather than collect in the bottom of the skillet.
For a double batch, I cook it in batches if necessary. Four pounds of chicken and two large onions can overwhelm even a generous skillet. Giving the mixture enough surface area makes a noticeable difference in browning and in how well that marinade reduces.
Then comes the crema.
I wanted one sauce that worked with either size batch, so I simplified it to sour cream, mayonnaise, pureed chipotle in adobo, fresh lime juice, garlic powder, and kosher salt. Three tablespoons of lime juice keep it fresh against the richness of the chicken, while two tablespoons of chipotle puree give the sauce enough smoke and heat to belong with the filling.
It is also a practical use for the remaining chipotle puree when making the single batch. I usually puree the whole can at once, measure what I need for the chicken, then use part of the remainder for the crema. Any extra can be frozen in a small container for another recipe.
I serve the chicken on warm flour tortillas or charred corn tortillas with shredded cabbage, avocado, cilantro, red onion or pickled onion, and plenty of Chipotle-Lime Crema. Cotija and fresh lime wedges are good additions when I have them.
The finished taco has several things happening at once: smoky chicken, softened onions, crisp cabbage, cool avocado, fresh cilantro, and that lime-heavy crema running through the middle. It is generous, messy in the proper taco way, and exactly the sort of thing I want to put on the table when everyone can build their own.
Until next time, thank you for spending a little time with me. I hope you find a recipe to make, a story to enjoy, and something new to take into the kitchen. ♥️
Smoky Honey Chipotle Chicken Tacos
with Chipotle-Lime Crema
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Single Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Marinating Time: 30 minutes or longer
Cook Time: About 20 to 25 minutes
Serves: 4 to 5
Makes: About 8 tacos
For the Chicken
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon avocado oil or additional olive oil
1 large white onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 of a 7-ounce can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, pureed until smooth
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
Juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
For Serving
Warm flour tortillas or charred corn tortillas
Fresh cilantro
Crumbled cotija cheese
Lime wedges
Avocado, shredded cabbage, or pickled onions, optional
Instructions
- Place the entire contents of a 7-ounce can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Measure half of the puree for the chicken. Refrigerate or freeze the remaining puree for another use, or reserve some for the Chipotle-Lime Crema.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, ancho chile powder, oregano, half of the 7-ounce can of pureed chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, honey, lime juice, and apple cider vinegar.
- Add the sliced raw chicken and sliced onion directly to the marinade. Toss thoroughly so the chicken and onions are evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. If you have more time, allow the mixture to marinate longer for deeper flavor.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, onions, and marinade to the hot skillet.
- Cook, stirring and turning the chicken and onions as needed, until the chicken is fully cooked, the onions have softened, and the marinade has reduced into a glossy sauce that coats everything. Work in batches if necessary so the skillet does not become overcrowded. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Warm the tortillas and fill with the chicken and onions. Top with Chipotle-Lime Crema and your choice of cilantro, cotija, avocado, shredded cabbage, pickled onions, and fresh lime.
Double Batch
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Marinating Time: 30 minutes or longer
Cook Time: About 30 to 35 minutes
Serves: 8 to 10
Makes: About 16 tacos
For the Chicken
4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into strips
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons avocado oil or additional olive oil
2 large white onions, sliced
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (7-ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, pureed until smooth
3 tablespoons honey
Juice of 4 limes
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
For Serving
Warm flour tortillas or charred corn tortillas
Fresh cilantro
Crumbled cotija cheese
Lime wedges
Avocado, shredded cabbage, or pickled onions, optional
Instructions
- Place the entire 7-ounce can of chipotle peppers and adobo sauce in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
- In a very large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, ancho chile powder, oregano, the entire can of pureed chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, honey, lime juice, and apple cider vinegar.
- Add the sliced raw chicken and sliced onions directly to the marinade. Toss thoroughly to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or longer if time allows.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large cast-iron skillet, griddle, or other large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook the chicken, onions, and marinade together until the chicken is cooked through, the onions are tender, and the marinade has reduced and coats the chicken. For a double batch, cook in batches if your skillet cannot comfortably hold the mixture. Avoid overcrowding, which can cause the chicken to steam rather than brown. Cook the chicken to an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Serve in warm tortillas with Chipotle-Lime Crema and the desired toppings.
about the AUTHOr
Stasia Boschetti is an American culinary writer and the founder of American Country Living. With more than thirty years of experience in the kitchen, a background in catering, extensive travel, and a strong knowledge of regional food traditions, she writes about the recipes, histories, and customs that have shaped the way America cooks. She lives in the United States with her husband, family, and rescue animals.
