Smoky and spicy this Mexican-inspired  Grilled Chipotle Chicken is bathed in the most flavorful marinade. Grill the chipotle chicken ahead and reheat on busy weeknights, or store it in the flavorful chipotle marinade, then fire up the grill after work. Serve it up with Mexican Slaw or use in this healthy bowl, or salads, tacos, or pasta. So EASY and oh so tasty! With a video! 

Smoky, spicy and delicious, this Grilled Chipotle Chicken Recipe is bathed in the most flavorful marinade. Grill the chipotle chicken ahead and reheat on busy weeknights, or store it in the flavorful chipotle marinade, then fire up the grill after work.

Hello beautiful world!  Don’t you love mornings, when the sun is shining and the day is still brand new? Every morning, a fresh new start. This is an oldie around here but since it’s grilling season I thought I’d bring it back into rotation for you. This Mexican Grilled Chipotle Chicken Recipe – is so simple, yet full of amazing flavor – smoky, spicy and deep, we had forgotten how delicious it was!

But what is nice about this is you can grill the chicken ahead for the busy workweek, then pull them out and reheat them as you need them. Or marinate them ahead, and grill them as you need them. Either way, they are delicious in tacos, burrito bowls, salads and wraps, or simply on their own with a side of grilled corn or veggies. A super tasty all-around flavor bomb that will make your taste buds happpppppppy.

Oh ya, and did I mention, low-carb and paleo? 😉

Grilled Mexican Chipotle Chicken Video! 

Smoky, spicy and delicious, this Mexican Grilled Chipotle Chicken is bathed in the most flavorful marinade. Grill the chipotle chicken ahead and reheat on busy weeknights, or store it in the flavorful chipotle marinade, then fire up the grill after work. Use in burrito bowls, salads, tacos, or pasta. So EASY and oh so tasty! #chipotlechicken #grilledchicken #chicken #chipotle #grilled

If you are wondering how to make the best Mexican Grilled Chipotle Chicken ever … here’s how. Today I’ve used chicken thighs ( which stay really moist) but feel free to use chicken breast.

Make the flavorful chipotle marinade by blending the marinade ingredients into a paste in the food processor. Using canned chipotles along with the adobo sauce gives this the best flavor!

Place the chicken and marinade in a ziplock bag and massage the marinade into the chicken. Marinate for 20 minutes, or up to 3 days. Ideally, you will have the best flavor letting this marinate at least a few hours or overnight,  but in a pinch, just feel free to grill right away. I’ve done it and it will still be good.

Smoky, spicy and delicious, this Grilled Chipotle Chicken is bathed in the most flavorful marinade. Grill the chipotle chicken ahead and reheat on busy weeknights, or store it in the flavorful chipotle marinade, then fire up the grill after work. Use in burrito bowls, salads, tacos, or pasta. So EASY and oh so tasty! #chipotlechicken #grilledchicken #chicken #chipotle #grilled

Give the Mexican grilled Chipotle Chicken a good sear on both sides over medium-high heat, then turn the grill down, or move the chicken to a cooler part of the grill  and cook on low heat until cooked through ( 165F). A little charring is goes a long way here.  Of course you can add other veggies to the grill at the same time.

Smoky, spicy and delicious, this Grilled Chipotle Chicken is bathed in the most flavorful marinade. Grill the chipotle chicken ahead and reheat on busy weeknights, or store it in the flavorful chipotle marinade, then fire up the grill after work. Use in burrito bowls, salads, tacos, or pasta. So EASY and oh so tasty! #chipotlechicken #grilledchicken #chicken #chipotle #grilled

Let the chicken rest 5-10 minutes before cutting and squeeze with lime. Don’t forget the lime! So delicious!

Smoky, spicy and delicious, this Grilled Chipotle Chicken is bathed in the most flavorful marinade. Grill the chipotle chicken ahead and reheat on busy weeknights, or store it in the flavorful chipotle marinade, then fire up the grill after work. Use in burrito bowls, salads, tacos, or pasta. So EASY and oh so tasty! #chipotlechicken #grilledchicken #chicken #chipotle #grilled

Now the Grilled Chipotle chicken is ready to use on salads, in healthy burrito bowls, in tacos or wraps…or even tossed in pasta. You will come up with a hundred uses!

Smoky, spicy and delicious, this Grilled Chipotle Chicken is bathed in the most flavorful marinade. Grill the chipotle chicken ahead and reheat on busy weeknights, or store it in the flavorful chipotle marinade, then fire up the grill after work. Use in burrito bowls, salads, tacos, or pasta. So EASY and oh so tasty! #chipotlechicken #grilledchicken #chicken #chipotle #grilled

Healthy, Easy, Chipotle Grilled Chicken Salad with Grilled Corn, Peppers and Arugula, over a bed of optional quinoa with grilled scallions, avocado and a simple Chipotle Lime Dressing.  Sub MEXICAN TOFU for the Chicken for a vegan version! #chipotlechicken #mexicansalad #chickensalad #grilledchicken

Serve it like we have here in this Chipotle Chicken Salad with corn peppers and quinoa or with a simple Mexican Slaw!

For more summer grilling inspiration, take a look at these Healthy Delicious Grilling Recipes 

Don’t feel like grilling? Here’s an easy stove-top version (or Instant Pot) Chicken Carnitas Recipe 

Hope your week is going well. xo

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Grilled chipotle chicken

Grilled Chipotle Chicken Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 33 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6
  • Category: Chicken, main, palo, gluten-free
  • Method: grilled
  • Cuisine: mexican, southwest

Description

Smoky, spicy and delicious, this Grilled Chipotle Chicken is bathed in the most flavorful marinade. Grill the chipotle chicken ahead and reheat on busy weeknights, or store it in the flavorful chipotle marinade, then fire up the grill after work. Use in burrito bowls, salads, tacos, or pasta. So EASY and oh so tasty!


Ingredients

Units
  • 2 lbs chicken thighs or breasts ( boneless, skinless)

Chipotle Marinade:

Garnish: lime juice and cilantro


Instructions

  1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
  2. Place marinade ingredients in a food processor and process into a paste. Place the chicken and marinade in a ziplock bag and massage well to mix and coat all sides well. (Or brush all sides well with marinade and place in a container.) Marinate 20 mins or up to 3 days.
  3. Grill each side of chicken 6-7 minutes, or until good grill marks appear. Lower heat and move chicken to cooler side of the grill and continue to grill until chicken is cooked through and internal temperature reaches 165F.
  4. Let it rest 5-10 mins before serving and squeeze with lime. Sprinkle with optional cilantro.

Notes

These can be grilled ahead and will keep 3-4 days in the fridge. Or marinated ahead for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 279
  • Sugar: 0.3 g
  • Sodium: 946.6 mg
  • Fat: 15.8 g
  • Saturated Fat: 3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 2 g
  • Fiber: 0.6 g
  • Protein: 30.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 142 mg

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Comments

  1. Full of flavor and super easy. My two favorite things! I used both breast (pounded thin) and thighs. Sadly my shallot was beyond it’s prime so I added a little onion powder instead. Also decided to add about a tablespoon (eyeballed it) of honey. Served the grilled chicken over cauliflower rice with sliced avocado, chipotle lime crema, and crumbled cotija cheese. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal. Will be making it again and again!






  2. Love this recipe and use it often. My wife does not like a lot of heat so I omit the chipotle peppers and the chili powder – comes out fine and I add heat to mine at the table. Thanks for the recipe.






  3. Sylvia this marinade was excellent. The only modification we did was adding a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to break down the proteins. It was excellent, not overpowering, the protein still tasted like what it was- great balance. So good that we bought some shrimp caught early morning the next day and marinated it too, again came out perfect – complementing shrimp and not taking away its flavor. Have some great photos of it too if you’d like. Thank you!

  4. Love this recipe! It’s my go to for big groups because it’s super easy and delicious. Thanks for sharing!






  5. This is my go-to recipe. I use it as written except sometimes I sub an onion if I do t have a shallot. We make bowls with brown rice, black beans, fresh Pico, avocado and a Greek yogurt, cilantro, lime dressing. It’s to die for.






    1. Hi Antonia- I really like the cumin here- it gives a nice earthiness- but I grew up with cumin, so I am partial to it. For others sensitive to its flavor, perhaps cut it back to 1 tablespoon 🙂

  6. Delicious! I cooked the chicken in a pan and used in a bowl with rice, beans, guacamole, and salsa. My guests said it tasted even better than their favorite bowls at Chipotle. Both of my young kids also enjoyed it, which is definitely saying something.

  7. Hi Sylvia, could I grill this on a grill pan to get the marks and then transfer to the oven to cook through? Or would putting it in the oven on a wire rack at 200 degrees celcius also work? I dont have a grill!

  8. I have made both the instant pot chicken tortilla soup ( used thighs since I like the texture and moistness- and got even better the next days after ) and the grilled chipotle chicken also with thighs and grilled them on my gas grill. The aroma was awesome. Tasty and moist.

    Have made many of your recipes. Girls night fav are the corn fritters. Yum.

    Thank you

    1. Hi Pina- you could try adding 2 teaspoons smoked paprika and 1-2 extra teaspoons chile powder? A couple drops of liquid smoke and a tablespoon tomato paste might be good too.

  9. We love this recipe! We have been making for over a year and finally got around to post. The flavors are amazing and have shared your recipe with several. It’s a keeper for sure. So much flavor! Thank you.

  10. I haven’t cook it yet but WOW it is REALLY salty! I hope that the chicken can take it. Other than that, I put lime in the marinade.
    Thank you, can’t wait to see how it tastes on cooked chicken!

  11. This is absolutely amazing! I love the variety of flavors. I marinate it for days or hours and it’s still delish. You can adjust the heat by using less chipotle if needed. We love spice so I use all the chipotle but for those that are not so into heat use less. It’ll still taste delish just not as spicy. I cook these and shred them for tacos or burritos or enchiladas or serve them whole as grilled chicken. I prefer thighs but have used breasts and both are great!
    Such a yummy marinade! Seriously my favorite recipe! Nicely done Sylvia! 🙂






  12. I made this yesterday and it had the perfect amount of spiciness. Cooked chicken parts in the oven, then used the leftover breasts for chipotle chicken salad. Will make again! By the way, for previous recipes, I opened a can of the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and it’s way too much to use in any recipe, so I froze in rubber ice cube trays and saved in a plastic bag for later! For this recipe, I just used 1.5 of the frozen cubes.






  13. Hi there! I’m just wondering does the recipe call for coriander powder or fresh coriander? Thanks!

  14. I don’t usually write reviews, but this recipe is for the books. I love the flavor of the chipotle chilis in the adobo sauce so I pursued the ingredient to add to other dishes. I marinated thighs for around 6 hrs, however I would recommend marinating over night to infuse the flavor deeper. I added a couple teaspoons of smoked paprika in the marinade as well.






  15. Delish ! marinated them for 24 hours . I used boneless thighs .Put them on the grill for about 15 minutes . when they were done Isliced them and squeezed some lime and sliced them . ssooooo tasty, made our own chipotle bowls . rice (some had Quinoa ) corn , guacamole , lettuce, tomatoes, corn, sour cream ,salsa, cilantro and lime . making this again this weekend .. but this time we are making burritos

    cant wait to make this for friends !

  16. Fantastic chicken marinade- or for anything, really. I only marinated the chicken for 30 minutes and it still turned out delicious. I have tried many recipes from this blog and they’ve all been terrific – thank you!






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