Sesame Chicken With Creamy Chipotle Sauce
Published March 28, 2025
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 2boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 ounces each), or 4 thin-sliced chicken cutlets
- Salt and black pepper
- ½cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½cup raw sesame seeds
- ¼cup plain dried bread crumbs
- 1small white onion, chopped
- 4garlic cloves, chopped
- 1(14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ¼cup chipotle chiles in adobo (from a 7-ounce can), see Tip
- ½cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- ½cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1lime, halved
- Warm tortillas, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
644 calories; 52 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 31 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 722 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Carefully slice the chicken breasts horizontally in half, slicing along the long side of each chicken breast to make two thinner pieces. Pat dry with paper towels and season with salt and lots of pepper on both sides. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Step 2
Combine sesame seeds and bread crumbs in a shallow dish; season with salt and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken into the sesame mixture, pressing down so the mixture adheres well on both sides.
- Step 3
Heat ½ cup oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add two chicken pieces and cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a wire rack or a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Step 4
Wipe the skillet clean and heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and chipotles with their adobo sauce and season with salt. Cook until the sauce is warmed through and the flavors come together, about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and carefully transfer the mixture to a blender along with ⅓ cup water. Puree until smooth.
- Step 5
Return the chipotle sauce to the skillet over low heat and whisk in the crema. Cook, whisking frequently, until warm, smooth and well combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, taste and season with salt. Place the chicken over the sauce to warm through. Toss cilantro with lime juice, season with salt and then spoon over the chicken.
- When measuring out the chipotles in adobo, be sure to include both the chiles and the adobo sauce.
Private Notes
Comments
Kept the sauce in the pot and used an immersion blender, used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, 10/10 would make again. Would use this sauce in a variety of recipes this summer.
Absolutely delicious. It makes a ton of yummy sauce- next time I’ll make it with rice.
Very delicious! Great flavor contrasts. This recipe is fussier and less forgiving than it looks— best saved for a weekend IMO. Goes well with pasta. Makes lots of sauce. Makes lots of dishes. Mistakes I made, that I’d do differently next time: -chicken pieces must be very thin, as in pounded flat. Otherwise they won’t cook through before the sesame seeds scorch. I tried finishing the thicker pieces in the oven. It didn’t work, as the sesame coating prevented further cooking. -taste your chipotles in adobo before deciding how much to use. Brands vary wildly. -it’s tough to pour the hot, chunky contents of a large skillet into a blender. Next time I’d cook the chipotle sauce in a small saucepan before the blender step.
Delicious, and despite the fact that I changed a lot of things (subbed everything bagel seasoning for sesame seeds, subbed Greek yogurt for sour cream, and several others based on what I had available), I think the recipe would be perfect as-is. One thing is that the wording is a little confusing: you don’t really need the juice of an entire lime, so maybe play it by ear and add what you need. I’d also encourage folks to read ahead and prepare several other steps before touching the raw chicken for the first time: saves a lot of handwashing!
As others have said, makes a lot of sauce, which I find unnecessary. Next time I'll halve the tomato sauce quantity.
Decent recipe, next time I make I'll use chicken thighs instead of breasts. Love the comments about using greek yogurt, using a saucepan rather than a skillet for the sauce, as well as serving with rice. Dong that next time!