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Spicy chicken and tender green beans with chipotle, honey, and garlic? If that sounds good to you then this quick meal is right up your alley!
My husband loves spicy food so anything with peppers is calling his name. The idea behind this dish was to create something reminiscent of his favorite takeout. This obviously meant there would be peppers.
I decided to go with canned chipotle peppers in adobo instead of dried chile peppers because these are so easy to find in any grocery store.
To balance the heat we’re adding honey. Oh baby, name a better pairing than chipotle and honey. You can’t. (Maybe garlic and anything. I suppose that would have my vote.)
For this recipe you’ll need:
A little oil.
Chicken breasts (or boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer).
Fresh green beans.
Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
Honey.
Minced garlic.
Salt, black pepper, and chili powder.
To make this recipe, we’ll first sauté the chicken to brown the outside. This happens quickly since we’re cutting the chicken into 1-inch pieces first. Salt and pepper. (If this step is taking a while you likely don’t have your heat turned up high enough. I always use medium-high heat when browning chicken because it gives me that beautiful browning in a matter of minutes!)
Set that chicken aside. Add the green beans and a little more oil to the skillet. Sauté those green beans until tender.
Now the chicken goes back into the pan with the rest of your ingredients. Stir and cook for a few minutes, until everything is warmed through. Taste and add more honey if you’d like it a little sweeter!
Isn’t that a simple meal? Told you so!
Where to find canned chipotle peppers in adobo?
Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are available in the hispanic food section in most grocery stores. They come in small cans (around 6 to 7 oz depending on the brand) and last for a long time!
Is this dish Whole30?
While I have many Whole30 entrees, this recipe isn’t one of them. The honey and the sugar often found in canned chipotle peppers mean this meal won’t work while completing a round of Whole30.
But don’t you worry! I have tons of Whole30 recipes! In fact most of my recipes will fit perfectly in your Whole30.
Is this dish spicy?
Why yes it is! Those chipotle peppers pack some heat, friend! You can always reduce the heat by using 2 to 3 peppers instead of 4 or increase the amount of honey! But honestly I just wouldn’t recommend this recipe for someone who isn’t looking for a kick.
What you can do with the unused chipotle peppers in adobo sauce?
In this recipe we’re only using 3 to 4 peppers and about 1 tsp of the adobo sauce. That means you’ll have some leftover peppers remaining in the can. So what to do with them? A better question is what can’t you do with them?
Here are a few ideas so the peppers don’t go to waste! Try blending a few peppers with salsa to really turn up the heat. Chop peppers up and add them to scrambled eggs or incorporate them into an awesome marinade like the one used in my Ultimate Marinated Chicken. Or how about taking the easiest route ever and just blend the remaining peppers and adobo sauce to produce a quick hot sauce? You can add a drizzle to anything!
More recipes like this:
Garlic Crushed Red Pepper Chicken Stir Fry
Skillet Chicken & Brussels Sprouts
Chipotle Chicken with Green Beans
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breasts, Cut into 1-inch pieces, Can use skinless boneless chicken thighs if preferred.
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Green Beans
- 12 oz fresh green beans
- 3 to 4 individual chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (plus about 1 tsp of that sauce)
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
Instructions
- Add 1 1/2 tablespoon oil to a large skillet. Heat on medium-high. Once oil is hot, add your chicken pieces. Salt and pepper. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes uncovered, flipping occasionally. Chicken should have some browning. (If your chicken is still pretty beige or taking longer than 5 minutes to cook you likely don't have your heat on medium-high!) Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add green beans and remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil to skillet. Cover with a lid. Sauté for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir often as the green beans will stick to the pan. You want to continue to move those browned green beans to the top so that the others start to brown too.
- While green beans are cooking, take 3 – 4 chipotle peppers and chop them up so they're smaller. This means we'll be able to better distribute them throughout the dish when added to the skillet.
- When green beans are done, add the cooked chicken back to the skillet along with chopped canned chipotle peppers in adobo, honey, garlic, salt, and chili powder. Stir. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until everything is warmed and flavors have married. Taste and add more salt or honey if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was awesome with a lot of good flavor and a little bit of kick!!
Made this last night and it was amazing. Simple yet lots of flavor. This is something I will make again for myself and husband.
Another easy and delicious recipe by Christina! I have never cooked with chipotle peppers before so wasn’t sure what to expect. I did heed warning about spice and only used 2 chopped peppers. Glad I did! Enjoy the kick but 3-4 peppers would have been too spicy for our liking. This dish is full of flavor yet so few ingredients which I like on a busy weeknight.Â
Delicious!! My husband already asked for this to be added to our rotation. I did reduce the number of peppers to better suit our Minnesotan can’t really handle spice palate haha!Â
This delicious one pot meal is simple and quick to make. This is going to be on my regular rotation. Thanks!Â
That’s great to hear, Sonya! Thank you!
So good! We used a whole can of the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce because we love spicy, and it was very tasty.Â
We’re Team Spicy over here too! Thank you, Jenna! So happy you enjoyed this!
Absolutely delicious! Will definitely make again! Â Perfect weeknight dinner.