Spicy Citrus Chipotle Baked Chicken
A Recipe For Those Who Like To Feel The Heat
Spicy Citrus Chipotle Baked Chicken is a recipe for those who like a little spice in their life. The punch of heat in the Adobo Sauce is tamed by adding a can of orange juice concentrate and some chicken broth creating a dish that’s perfect to serve over rice or as a great filling for tacos or quesadillas!
A friend was telling me about a quesadilla she had that was like this while she was in Austin, Texas a couple weeks ago. While she was telling me, I knew I had to recreate it.
She sent me a similar recipe she found, but of course I had to make it my own.
Not going to lie, this recipe is no joke. This Spicy Citrus Chipotle Baked Chicken is only for people who like spicy things.
I DO include a way to reduce the heat in this recipe as you shall see in the recipe card, but even doing that, it still has some kick.
This is a perfect recipe for all my spice lovers out there!
Chipotles In Adobo Sauce
Pictured above is the can of chipotles I use. These are whole in the can and have a very smoky flavor.
If you want to reduce heat, you can remove all or most of the peppers before mixing up the sauce that you pour over the chicken. If you REALLY want to reduce the heat to a very mild, slight burn you can add a few tablespoons of JUST the adobo sauce to a 12 ounce can of tomato sauce.
This will not be anywhere near as hot, but there will still be some spice.
I find these chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in most grocery stores in the Mexican or Latin Food aisle. I love the flavor of these.
As it roasts up with the chicken it just makes the perfect sauce to serve over white rice. I also think this would be a great recipe to serve over my Instant Pot Mexican Rice.
In fact, I think that may be the perfect combination.
Note that as you roast the peppers, they get even hotter. This is why I suggest removing some or all of the peppers before you do the roasting process as they will just proceed to get hotter.
Feel free to really go for it if you love the heat but I take no responsibility for the heartburn or other gastric issues you may face!
The OJ… No, Not That One!
The above picture is the orange juice I used. I hadn’t really thought about this orange juice concentrate in years.
I recently saw a recipe in my Grandma’s cookbook that called for this and it came back to mind. This was the perfect ingredient to add to the can of peppers as it helped tame the heat to an acceptable level.
YES, they still sell this in the frozen aisle, just in smaller quantities than they did back in the 1980s.
The Infamous Black Speckled Roaster
There really is not a lot for me to say about this recipe. It is very simple to make.
I do use my black speckled roaster for this recipe. I think this roaster just cooks up dishes like this perfectly.
It conducts the heat well and I love the lid. I inherited mine from my Grandma.
If you don’t have one yet, you can buy one of these at Walmart or any hardware store.
If you DO have this roaster, I rounded up my best speckled roaster recipes for you below!
Spicy Citrus Chipotle Baked Chicken Recipe
Spicy Citrus Chipotle Baked Chicken is a recipe for those who like a little kick to their chicken. Made with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, orange juice concentrate, simple seasonings, and some onion oven roasted to perfection. Served over rice with some onions, cheese ,and cool sour cream. Add some tortillas for a hearty meal.
Ingredients
- 3 large boneless Chicken Breasts
- 1 can of frozen Orange Juice Concentrate (12 ounces)
- 1 can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (12 ounces)
- 1 large, White Onion, chopped
- 1 cup of Chicken Broth
- 1/2 tablespoon of Onion Powder
- 1/2 tablespoon of Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoons of Cumin
- 1 teaspoon of Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons of all purpose seasoning, I use Goya Adobo Seasoning with Black Pepper
- 3 cups of cooked White Rice
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- 1/2 large Red Onion, sliced thin
- 1 cup of shredded Jack Cheese or Chihuahua Cheese
- Tortillas of your choice
- *ingredients pictured in post before the recipe card
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from the package and pat dry, then season all over with your all purpose seasoning. Add to a roasting pan and, if possible, use a pan that has a cover.
- In a bowl, add the can of chipotle peppers in adobo. These are decently spicy. If you want this less spicy, you can remove most of the peppers and use the sauce. I recommend leaving one or two of the peppers. I like spice so I leave them all.
- Add the orange juice concentrate. You can let this thaw out before if you want to but you do not have to. Add the broth, cumin, garlic, and onion powders and black pepper and stir well to combine Then add in your chopped white onion. Give this all a good stir.
- Pour the adobo/OJ mixture over the chicken, cover the pan with the lid or some foil, and bake for 90 minutes at 375 degrees. You can also add this to a slow cooker and cook for 6 to 8 hours on low.
- When the chicken is tender, you can shred it easily. If you want to remove any peppers at this point, you can as well.
- Serve the chicken and sauce over rice, top with cheese, sour cream, and the red onions sliced thin. A squeeze of lime is also nice. You can also serve with some tortillas on the side. This also makes a great filling for tacos, nachos, or a quesadilla!