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There was a recipe I tried once that used lots of chipotles and chicken. It mixed up easy enough, smelled wonderful, looked beautiful when taking it out of the oven, but that dish just about wiped out my taste buds! I even temporarily lost my hearing! To say I lost my hearing is in no way an exaggeration. I was deaf! I heard nothing for a good 5 minutes. I am not a quitter though, so I just added more sour cream to each bite in order to temper the flames. I love chipotles that much, but this was even more than I could handle without having to learn sign language.
Low Carb Chipotle Chicken Thighs are one of my favorite ways to cook chicken!
I kid about that meal now, but it seared itself into my memory (see what I did there?). After I recovered, I remade this casserole and omitted some ingredients, made a couple alterations and Low Carb Chipotle Chicken Thighs were reborn, more family friendly this time. Now this is a dish we have often, and it satisfies my need for spicy (not too spicy) chipotle flavors.
The sauce comes together very easily and if you like, you can add more chipotles to increase the heat or take out a little to reduce the temp even further. I sometimes make a double batch of the sauce and freeze half for another time. It is a huge timesaver to just thaw the sauce and add it to chicken I have set aside that day so Low Carb Chipotle Chicken Thighs are ready in no time at all.
I love spice and I love chicken, so Low Carb Chipotle Chicken Thighs are always on my mind!
Sometimes, I use chicken breasts instead of thighs, it all depends on what I have on hand or what was on sale at the grocery store. This is definitely a budget friendly dish that is perfect for a week night meal. You can make it in the morning, cover it with foil and then pop it in the oven when you get home from work. Add a nice salad and you have a wonderful meal. It travels well to potlucks or functions. I always come home with an empty dish and requests for the recipe.
I use my blender to mix up the chipotle sauce. If you do not have a stand blender, feel free to use an immersion or stick blender to emulsify the sauce. I typically use skinless chicken simply because when you cook chicken with a sauce on top, it doesn’t allow the chicken skin to crisp up. However, do what makes your taste buds happy.
Low Carb Chipotle Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons oil
- 1/2 chopped, white onion
- 8 cloves chopped, garlic
- 4 Tablespoons chili powder
- 4 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 4 tsp sugar
- 2 cups water
- 32 ounces tomato sauce
- 8-10 chicken thighs as many as you can fit in your dish!
- 2 cups grated cheese
Instructions
- Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft and slightly browned. Add spices and cook until fragrant.
- Add tomato sauce, water, sugar and simmer 10 minutes.
- Add chipotle peppers to blender or food processor right out of the can, grind, then add hot tomato mixture to blender and blend until smooth.
- Place chicken pieces in greased, glass dish. Pour sauce over chicken and cover dish with foil.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees or until chicken is no longer pink.
- During last 5 minutes in oven, remove foil and top chicken with grated cheese and place back in oven until melted.
- Serve cooked chicken with sliced avocado, sliced black olives and sour cream, whatever suits your fancy!!
You will want to grease a 13 x 9 glass dish, place the chicken in the bottom, pour the sauce over the chicken and top with cheddar cheese. I like to serve this with sliced olives, cubed avocado and creamy, cooling, sour cream. I hope you like these Low Carb Chipotle Chicken Thighs. They are a wonderful casserole and I hope they become a regular on your weeknight dinner table. Enjoy friends!
Do you have a spicy chicken recipe you love as much as I love Low Carb Chipotle Chicken Thighs?
Dear Oma,
I have a similar recipe I have used for years. It is a family favorite. However, I think you are much bolder than I, as my recipe calls for less Chipotle than yours. My husband would like your version better as he tends to add hot sauce to his plate. I will try your recipe next time, so that the hubby is happy. Thanks for reminding me that hotter is not always scarier. I just hope we don’t lose our hearing.
Lol, I hope you and your husband like this version AND you keep your hearing!
Dear Oma,
What would you recommend instead of chipotle? My kids won’t eat spicy but I want a really good low carb chicken dish !
You know Jennifer, if you cut the can of Chipotle by 1/2 (so just use 1/2 of a can) you dont have any spice at all, just the nice smoky flavor! Or possibly just use pasta sauce.