The original recipe I followed tonight is fussy about the preparation of this sauce. You marinate the chicken in some of it, then put the rest in a blender and reduce it. Brush the chicken with half the reduced sauce, bake, brush again with remainder of sauce, and serve. I had no time for any of that. I prepped my chicken and made the sauce at 9 o’clock this morning, keeping them separate until about 1 PM. I let the mix of chicken breasts and thighs marinate for about 3 hours, until I baked the whole shebang without any additional glazing while it cooked. My method worked fine, though without the extra sauce (from the baking pan) poured over the chicken, it was less flavorful than I’d hoped.
I bought the chipotle chile in adobo sauce this time because I’ve seen it included in my recipes lately. It comes in a small can, at my supermarket it was near the olives and sun dried tomatoes. I wasn’t impressed. I didn’t think the flavor was that different from any hot sauce, and so I would just rather use the sriracha I already have in the house instead.
This is a possible repeat. Next time I would marinate the chicken for longer, and then grill it. There’s enough honey in the mix that it should get nice and caramelized when cooked that way. I served it with Spanish rice (from a mix) and roasted cauliflower.
Honey, Chipotle, & Lime Baked Chicken
Adapted from Cooking Light, June 2010
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
4 limes, juiced (about 1/2 c. juice)
1/3 c. lower sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. honey
2 Tbsp. chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
Rinse, trim, and pat the chicken dry. Arrange pieces in a single layer in a large baking dish.
Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl, and then pour over the chicken. Marinate for an hour or more.
Preheat oven to 375° F. Turn each piece of chicken over once, so the down side is now up, and then put in the oven to bake, uncovered for about 45 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer chicken piece to a platter and serve the sauce in a gravy boat on the side.
I’ve mentioned before that I consider myself relatively slow at prep work in the kitchen. I had this Crock Pot Chicken Vindaloo in my slow cooker in exactly 10 minutes, and that included gathering all my ingredients. Unfortunately, in my whirlwind I sliced my finger open while cutting the onions. So perhaps you should aim for 15 minutes of prep!
I used almost 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes. Otherwise, I followed the seasoning pretty closely, using what I had in my spice rack. Use it as a guideline: I subbed ground cinnamon for the stick, used whole cloves instead of ground, and skipped the cardamom.
I had steamed a lot of green beans for Thursday night’s dinner, and I had about two cups leftover, so I did not include them in the slow cooker until about a half hour before the vindaloo finished cooking — just enough time to heat them through. I finished the dish with a large handful of chopped cilantro.
I have become a total convert to boneless, skinless chicken thighs as my slow cooker meat of choice. They handle the long cooking time very well, and never seem to dry out. Plus they have a lot more flavor than chicken breasts. They performed as I expected in this meal, which is seriously delicious. I tend to under-spice food when left to my own devices, and I’m sometimes surprised at how absolutely popping with flavor a meal can be when you use a liberal amount of seasoning. The tomato-based sauce is thick and perfect for spooning over rice.
I couldn’t help but think of Merrie as I was plating this dinner, because she is a big fan of adding potatoes to meals in her Crock-Pot. They would be a perfect addition to this dish.
I retried this recipe tonight, following the original recipe closely in terms of ingredients — I omitted the butter and only seasoned the chicken with pepper rather than Montreal seasoning — and pretty closely as far as technique. Instead of cooking the chicken first, I caramelized the onions, and then set them aside in a bowl with the raw, diced tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients other than the seasoned chicken breasts and oil. I browned the chicken in a large skillet, just for color (they were not cooked through). Then I dumped the bowl of remaining ingredients on top of the chicken and let it all simmer, uncovered, for about 25 minutes.
It was great! The brown sugar is a sweet counterpoint to the mouth-puckering vinegar, and pre-cooking the onions helps them melt into the sauce and lend it body. The sauce is wants to be mopped up with a piece of bread, which we happily did. Cooking this dish tonight reminded me that it’s worth going back to recipes that didn’t work out as planned the first time.
What a difference a year and a half makes. Now we keep sriracha on hand as a condiment (J. loves it) and it’s readily available at my local grocery store. I had been thinking about trying this recipe again and decided to do it when my parents were over, since they are OK with a little more heat. I followed the recipe as written this time, though I caramelized the onions for nearly three times as long as recommended.
The presentation is beautiful — browned chicken, golden onions, and a thick and glossy sauce are professional-looking on top of white rice. It is spicy, but not in an uncomfortable way. It’s just the right amount to pack a punch of sweet and heat — the ginger also comes through. I put roasted asparagus alongside, which I’ve been making at least once a week lately. My parents and I loved it, and I would definitely make it again.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more about me and CITK, and keep in touch:
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Moroccan Chicken Tajine: I recently had a chicken tajine dish at Fig & Olive in Scarsdale, and wanted to recreate something similar at home. This is an Ina Garten recipe, and she never fails me.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 
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