This chipotle chicken marinade is sweet, smokey, perfectly spicy, and brings grilled chicken to a whole new level!
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Homemade chicken marinades are my jam, especially during the hot summer months. This Italian Chicken Marinade, Greek Marinade, Balsamic Marinade, and Asian Sweet and Tangy Marinade will give you the most flavorful grilled chicken that goes with everything.
If you want a marinade with a spicy kick, then this Chipotle marinade recipe is a must this summer.
Reasons you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to prepare – Throw all of the ingredients into a food processor or high-speed blender, and in less than 1 minute, the marinade is ready!
- Fantastic flavor – This chipotle marinade is next level with its spicy, smokey, and touch of sweetness. Oh, and I can’t forget the freshness from the lime and cilantro.
- Gluten-free – When purchasing store-bought marinade, it’s challenging to find one that’s gluten-free. All the ingredients in this chipotle marinade are naturally gluten-free.
- Make-ahead – You can make this marinade ahead of time and either store it in the fridge until ready to use or marinate the chicken up to 2 days in advance. You can also freeze the chicken in marinade. I’ll give more tips below.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts – I use high-quality boneless skinless chicken breasts, but chicken thighs or your favorite cut of chicken will work. The cooking time might need adjusting depending on the size of the chicken breasts. The internal temperature should read 165 degrees to be safe to eat.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – This is the star of the show. You can find them in the grocery aisle next to the salsa and other Mexican condiments.
- Olive oil – provides more flavor and helps bring out the flavors of the garlic, cilantro, and spices.
- Honey – balances the spicy and smokey flavor of the chipotle peppers.
- Garlic and cumin – adds flavor to the marinade.
- Lime and cilantro – this duo adds a burst of fresh flavor.
Cooking Tips
Adjust the heat. The seeds in the chipotle peppers control the heat of this marinade. If you want it to be extra spicy, leave the seeds in; for a less spicy marinade, remove the seeds before adding them to the blender. I find the chipotle peppers with the seeds removed to be spicy enough.
Get the most out of your limes. You want to get every last drop of juice out of your limes. Bring the limes to room temperature and then roll them on the counter before squeezing the juice out. I recommend getting a citrus dqueezer to catch the pits.
Leave out the cilantro – If you’re not a cilantro fan, then just leave it out. I think it adds great flavor, but the marinade is still delicious without it.
Adjust the liquid – this is a thick marinade, so you’ll need to add a couple of tablespoons of water to thin it out a bit. If you need to thin it out more, then add more water until you get the consistency you want. But don’t be afraid of a thick marinade because it will still transform your chicken breasts to the next level of tasty.
Taste for seasoning – If you want it sweeter, add a little more honey or for extra citrus add in some more lime. Also, check it for salt and other seasonings. This chipotle chicken marinade is very versatile, so if you want to play around with it, you certainly can.
Swamp in other meats – this chipotle marinade is delicious with both beef and chicken. You can even keep a little on the side (before adding the chicken) and mix it in with turkey or beef burgers.
Supplies
- Blender, immersion blender or food processor – This marinade works best when it’s blended and smooth. I have a Vitamix blender, but you can easily you an immersion blender (this one works great) or a simple food processor.
- Hand juicer – to get every drop of juice from those limes.
- Gallon size Ziplock Bags or glass meal prep containers – Either will do to marinate the chicken in.
- 16-ounce mason jars – this is to store any unused leftover marinade.
How to Make Chipotle Chicken Marinade
- Add chipotle peppers, olive oil, honey, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, lime juice, and cilantro into a blender (or food processor) and blend. **the cilantro is not shown in the picture but I did add it**
- Remember, if you want a less spicy marinade, then remove the seeds before adding the peppers into the blender.
- After you blend the ingredients, the marinade will be thick, so add 2-3 tablespoons of water until it’s a consistency where you can pour it into a bag or container. It’s not supposed to be thin, so just enough to help it along out of the blender or food processor.
- Take the chicken and, using a meat mallet, pound them to ½ inch thickness. This helps the chicken to cook faster and more even.
- Then place the chicken into a Ziploc bag or glass meal prep containers and pour the chipotle marinade over the top. Let the chicken marinate for at least an hour, 2-3 if possible, and overnight is preferred. This marinade will cover about 4 chicken breasts, possibly five, depending on the size. If you have any leftover marinade, store the rest in a small Ziploc bag or mason jar in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Place the chicken on a hot clean, preheated grill set to medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165º.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for 2-3 minutes.
How to Store
You can marinate the chicken in the chipotle marinade twenty-four hours ahead of time. Just put the chicken in a ziplock bag or glass container and stick it in the refrigerator.
You can grill a bunch of this chicken ahead of time and use it on salads all week. Or freeze the grilled chicken into strips to throw on salads or use in wraps.
You can freeze chicken in marinade ahead of time. Take it out about 2 days before you’re going to cook it on the grill and let it thaw in the refrigerator. Make sure you completely thaw the chicken before cooking it on the grill.
Chipotle Chicken Marinade
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Print Pin Rate
Servings: 4
Calories: 233kcal
Equipment
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High-speed blender, immersion blender, or food processor
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Citrus squeezer
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Glass containers or Ziploc bags
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Grill or grill pan
Ingredients
- 7 ounce can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 limes juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 salt
- 1/4 pepper
- 1/4 cup cilantro stems removed
- 2 tablespoons water
- 4 4 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts pound into even pieces (1/2 inch thickness)
Instructions
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Add chipotle peppers, olive oil, honey, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, lime juice, and cilantro into a blender (or food processor) and blend.
-
After you blend the ingredients, the marinade will be thick, so add 2-3 tablespoons of water until it’s a consistency where you can pour it into a bag or container. It’s not supposed to be thin, so just enough water to help it along out of the blender or food processor.
-
Take the chicken and, using a meat mallet, pound them to ½ inch thickness. This helps the chicken to cook faster and more even. Then place the chicken into a Ziploc bag or glass meal prep containers and pour the chipotle marinade over the top. Let the chicken marinate for at least an hour, 2-3 if possible, and overnight is preferred. This marinade will cover about 4 chicken breasts, possibly five, depending on the size. If you have any leftover marinade, store the rest in a small Ziploc bag or mason jar in the refrigerator or freezer.
-
Cook on a hot clean grill over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165º.
-
Place the chicken on a hot clean, preheated grill set to medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165º.
-
Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for 2-3 minutes.
Notes
You can marinate the chicken in the chipotle marinade twenty-four hours ahead of time. Just put the chicken in a ziplock bag or glass container and stick it in the refrigerator.
You can grill a bunch of this chicken ahead of time and use it on salads all week. Or freeze the grilled chicken into strips to throw on salads or use in wraps.
You can freeze the chicken in the marinade ahead of time. Take it out about 2 days before you’re going to cook it on the grill and let it thaw in the refrigerator. Make sure you completely thaw the chicken before cooking it on the grill.
Nutrition
Serving: 1chicken breast in marinade | Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 813mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g
Other Chicken Marinades
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