• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Cooking On The Ranch logo

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipe Roundup
  • Contact Me
  • Join Community
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Soups, Stews, & Chilis
  • About
  • Recipe Roundup
  • Contact Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home > Main Courses > Main Dishes Chicken > Chipotle Braised Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tequila Sauce

    Chipotle Braised Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tequila Sauce

    Published: Mar 13, 2021 · Modified: Nov 14, 2022 by Lea Ann Brown · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Crispy chicken thighs in creamy tequila sauce

    Chicken Thighs braised with tomato, onion and chipotle meets a spicy creamy tequila sauce for a very special dinner entree. Reducing the heavy cream by half by simmering stove-top, creates an incredibly rich base for this creamy tequila sauce. This tequila chicken will win and warm your heart.

    Braised chicken thighs with creamy tequila sauce served with polenta

    About This Recipe and Why it Works

    If braising isn’t a technique that you’ve added to your repertoire, I’m hoping this recipe will inspire you give it a try.

    Braising simply involves browning meat crispy and then covering it with enough liquid to submerge the meat half way and adding spices and vegetables to season. The mixture is then placed in the oven and the flavors that have been added will infuse into the meat.

    For this tequila chicken recipe, chicken thighs are browned and then covered with onions, tomatoes, garlic and chipotle chile powder. The braising liquid is chicken broth.

    The goal of braising is to keep that crispy fried chicken skin above the level of the liquid to keep it from getting soggy while maintaining the flavors of the dish for a true comfort food experience.

    The chicken itself is seasoned with a spicy red chipotle chile powder along with a tomato base. A match made in heaven.

    That in turn calls for a luscious sauce, and for this recipe we’re making a creamy tequila sauce.

    The acidity of the tomato based braised chicken blends and balances beautifully with the creaminess of the sweet rich creamy sauce.

    This is a recipe that was created by one of the chef instructors at Culinary School and was so popular it was placed as a regular instructional recipe for the evening recreational classes.

    Serve these braised chicken thighs topped with tequila cream sauce with cheesy polenta or rice as a base. A lovely and special dinner to enjoy with friends.

    Let’s take a look.

    What Is Braising?

    Braising is simple two step process where meat is seared until it’s well browned on both or all sides. It’s then partially submerged in liquid, routinely 1/2 way up the side of the meat. The meat is then slow-cooked at a moderately low temperature until the meat becomes very tender. Braising is my favorite way to cook meat during the cold months. The aroma that fills the house is intoxicating, and its classic comfort food at its best.

    Ingredients You’ll Need

    Ingredients to make Chipotle braised chicken thighs
    • Bone-in, skin on chicken thighs: About 1 1/2 pounds. Patted dry with a paper towel.
    • Onion: Sweet or yellow onion, cut into rings.
    • Chipotle Chile Powder: Brings a smoky and spicy flavor to the chicken.
    • Chopped tomatoes: Canned tomatoes work great for this recipe, but when in season fresh chopped tomatoes are always a better option.
    • Garlic: One clove, chopped.

    Ingredients For Creamy Tequila Sauce

    Ingredients to make creamy tequila sauce
    • Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: Just a couple. I lay them flat on a cutting board and scrape out the seeds and veins. They’re HOT if you don’t. And always make sure to grab a bit of the adobo sauce.
    • Shallot: We used a lot of shallots in Culinary School. Shallots have a delicate and sweet onion flavor. They’re perfect for this creamy sauce.
    • Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar brings a sweet balance to the creamy tequila sauce.
    • Butter: I always use unsalted so I can control the saltiness. A sauce wouldn’t be a great sauce without butter.
    • Heavy Whipping Cream: This recipe calls for reducing the cream by simmering it before making the sauce. A lower fat content product like regular cream or half and half just won’t thicken during the reduction process. Use heavy whipping cream here.
    • Tequila: Any kind of tequila will work. Just use what you have on hand.
    • Tarragon: Adding just 1/4 teaspoon will add a pungent licorice like flavor to the sauce.

    Ingredient Swaps

    • Chicken: Mix up the chicken pieces if you’d like. Use chicken breast or chicken legs. Mix and match, but make sure you’re using bone-in, skin-on. You need crispy skin for a successful braise, and the bones bring flavor.
    • Chicken Breasts: Use 4 large chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs. Once the chicken breasts are done, shred the meat and place over polenta. Polenta cakes are fun with this method.
    • Chipotle Chile Powder: If you don’t have chipotle chile powder, you can use an equal amount of hot smoked paprika.
    • Shallot: If you don’t have a shallot, you can use an equal amount of sweet onion.
    • Brown Sugar: This recipe calls for light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar will work as well. You’ll just have a richer molasses type flavor.

    Step by Step Instructions

    Browning chicken thighs in a cast iron skillet.
    Step 1. Brown The Chicken Thighs

    Step 1: Getting a good sear on the chicken is the most important step for this tequila chicken. In a hot pan, drizzle in a small amount of oil. Canola oil is recommended. Olive oil doesn’t have a high heat index to properly brown. Once the oil is hot, sear chicken skin side down. Do not turn the chicken until the skin releases from the pan to reveal a deep golden sear. Then turn the chicken and cook an additional 2 – 3 minutes on the underside. And don’t be afraid of heat. Keep that pan hot over medium high heat.

    Chicken thighs in a Le Creuset Dutch oven covered with tomatoes, onions, garlic and chipotle peppers
    Step 2: Transfer chicken to a Dutch Oven

    Step 2: Transfer chicken, skin side up, to an oven safe safe dish. A 5 quart Dutch oven works wonderful. Toss with chipotle powder, garlic, onion and tomatoes. Add enough chicken broth to cover the the chicken only half-way. Cover the pot and braise until chicken is cooked to an internal temperate of 165 degrees.

    Prepare the Creamy Tequila Sauce

    Reducing heaving cream by cooking it on the stovetop in a saucepan
    Step 3: Reduce and thicken the cream

    Step 3: Reduce the cream: Add cream to a small non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a simmer and Cook for approximately thirty minutes to reduce in volume by half. Do not scrape the bottom of the saucepan with a spoon as scraping the pan dislodges the caramelized whey, altering the color and flavor of the cream.

    Using a small kitchen grinder processor to puree chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce
    Step 4: Chop the chipotle chile peppers

    Step 4: While the cream is reducing, start preparing the additional ingredients for the tequila sauce. With a knife, remove the veins and seeds of the canned chipotle peppers. Place the peppers in a small food processor and chop the chipotle chile peppers in adobo into a paste-like consistency. Be sure to grab a little bit of the adobo sauce when fishing those peppers out of the can.

    Sauteeing shallots in butter for tequila sauce
    Step 5: Saute the shallot

    Step 5: In a small saucepan, brown butter over medium high heat. Once it’s starting to turn golden in color, turn down heat, add shallot and cook until tender.

    Adding brown sugar and chipotle chile peppers to make tequila sauce
    Step 6: Add sugar, chipotle peppers and tequila

    Step 6: Add the chipotle puree and the brown sugar, heating until the sugar is dissolved. Raise heat to medium high, add tequila and cook for two minutes for alcohol to evaporate.

    Whisking cream to make tequila sauce

    Step 7: Whisk in the reduced heavy cream and tarragon.

    To serve, place rice or polenta on a serving plate. Lean the chicken part way onto the side dish and drizzle with the creamy tequila sauce.

    Tips For Success

    What Is the Best Cream For Cooking?

    Always use Grade A heavy whipping cream for reductions. Lower grades have a higher proportion of impurities that can diminish the quality of the reduction.

    Tips On Cooking Cream

    Be sure to keep your heat on low heat while cooking and reducing the cream. Milk solids in heavy cream can scorch easily and give the reduction a burnt taste.

    How Long To Cook Off Alcohol

    Simply do not skip the step of letting the tequila boil off once adding it to the sauce ingredients. The result will be a very strong tequila alcohol flavor that will overpower the sauce. Two minutes is a good base line.

    Tips on Browning Chicken

    Always pat chicken dry with a paper towel. Extra moisture will inhibit browning. Always start with a hot pan over medium high heat, then add cold oil. Once the oil is shimmering, place the chicken skin side down in the pan. Using tongs, test the chicken after about 5-7 minutes. If the chicken skin is still not releasing from the pan, that means the chicken has not started to brown yet. Only turn when the chicken is ready, or you’ll rip the skin from the thighs.

    Recipe for Chipotle Chicken with Creamy Tequila Sauce

    Two braised chicken thighs with tequila sauce and polenta

    I hope you give this recipe for Chipotle Chicken with Tequila Cream Sauce a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a message about your experience with the recipe.

    And if you have a favorite recipe for tequila chicken, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

    NOTE: This tequila sauce is also excellent served on pulled pork. Place a hand full of pulled pork over polenta cakes and drizzle with sauce.

    More Recipes Using Tequila

    • Queso Fundido al Tequila
    • Spicy Tequila Lime Fish Tacos with Cod
    • Hatch Chile Burgers with Tequila Lime Seasoning

    And if you’re looking for more chicken recipes, don’t miss my Chicken Category, you’ll find lots of great recipe ideas, including the most popular on my site for Limoncello Chicken Wings.

    And if you’re a braising fan like us, don’t miss my post which features a great line up of Braised Chicken Recipes. I’m positive you’ll find something you’ll fall in love with.

    Braised chicken thighs with creamy tequila sauce served with polenta

    Chipotle Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tequila Sauce

    Chicken Thighs braised with tomato, onions and chipotle meets a spicy creamy tequila sauce for a very special dinner entree
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course Chicken
    Cuisine: American/Mexican
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 376kcal
    Author: Lea Ann Brown

    Ingredients

    • For the Chicken
    • 1 1/2 pounds Chicken thighs or breasts
    • 1 Tablespoons Chipotle Chile Powder
    • 6 cloves garlic rough chopped
    • 1 large sweet onion sliced
    • 2 cans diced tomatoes drained
    • 1-2 cups chicken stock
    • salt/pepper to taste
    • For The Tequila Sauce
    • 1 Tablespoon Butter
    • 1 medium shallot minced
    • 2-3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce pureed
    • 1 cup Grade A heavy whipping cream reduced
    • 1/4 cup tequila
    • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
    • 1 pinch salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon tarragon or Mexican Oregano
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
    • For the Chicken
    • Getting a good sear on the chicken is the most important step of this recipe. In a hot pan, drizzle in a small amount of oil. Sear chicken skin side down. Do not turn the chicken until the skin releases with a deep golden sear. Then turn the chicken and cook an additional 2 – 3 minutes on the underside. And don't be afraid of heat. Keep that pan hot over medium high heat.
    • Transfer chicken, skin side up, to an oven safe safe dish. A 5 quart Dutch oven works wonderful. Toss with chipotle powder, garlic, onion and tomatoes. Add enough chicken broth to cover the the chicken only half-way.
    • Cover and braise until chicken is cooked to an internal temperate of 165 degrees. About 30 – 45 minutes.
    • For the Creamy Tequila Sauce:
    • Reduce the cream. Add cream to a small non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a simmer and Cook for approximately 30 minutes to reduce in volume by half. Do not scrape the bottom of the saucepan with the spoon as scraping the pan dislodges the caramelized whey, altering the color and flavor of the cream.
    • While the cream is reducing, start preparing the additional ingredients. With a knife, remove the veins and seeds of the chipotle chile peppers. Place the peppers n a small food processor, chop the chipotle chile peppers in adobo into a paste like consistency. Be sure to grab a little bit of the adobo sauce when fishing those peppers out of the can.
    • In a small saucepan, brown butter over medium high heat. Once the butter has started to turn a golden color, turn down heat, add shallot and cook until tender. Add the chipotle puree and the brown sugar, heating until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium high and add tequila and cook for 1-2 minutes for alcohol to evaporate. Whisk in the reduced heavy cream and tarragon and remove from heat. Keep warm.
    • Remove the braised chicken thighs from the braising liquid to a plate.
    • To serve, spoon some of the sauce onto individual dinner plates. Add a scoop of rice or polenta and lean the chicken halfway on the polenta and halfway into the sauce.

    Notes

    Always pat chicken dry with a paper towel. Extra moisture will inhibit browning. Always start with a hot pan over medium high heat, then add cold oil. Once the oil is shimmering, place the chicken skin side down in the pan. Using tongs, test the chicken after about 5-7 minutes. If the chicken skin is still not releasing from the pan, that means the chicken has not started to brown yet. Only turn when the chicken is ready, or you’ll rip the skin from the thigh.
    Be sure to keep your heat on low heat while cooking and reducing the cream. Milk solids in heavy cream can scorch easily and give the reduction a burnt taste.
    Simply do not skip the step of letting the tequila boil off once adding it to the sauce ingredients. The result will be a very strong tequila flavor that will overpower the sauce. Two minutes is a good guideline.
    Alternative serving idea:  Make this using 4 large chicken breasts. When breasts are cooked through, shred the meat. Serve over polenta, or polenta cakes drizzled with the tequila sauce.
     
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 376kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 558mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1296IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @lannisam or tag #CookingOnTheRanch!

    Chipotle Chicken Thighs with Creamy Tequila Sauce … It’s what’s for dinner.

    More Chicken Recipes

    • Pollo en escabeche served over rice.
      Tangy Pollo en Escabeche
    • Sauteed chicken breast with a white wine sauce.
      Lemon Garlic Chicken In White Wine Sauce
    • Baked chicken taco casserole topped with lettuce and tomatoes.
      Easy Chicken Taco Casserole
    • Lentil soup with turkey, barley and vegetables in a large white bowl.
      Easy Turkey Lentil Soup with Barley

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Libby Leito says

      August 03, 2021 at 8:56 am

      5 stars
      This meal was so very good! The flavors were out of this world and enjoyable to try. It was very spicy for a Texas for whatever reason. Maybe I reduced the cream too much or added too many peppers to the Tequila sauce.

      We do look forward to making this again!

      Reply
    2. John / Kitchen Riffs says

      March 17, 2021 at 8:17 am

      Braising is one of my favorite cooking methods. This looks great — tons of flavor, and we love chicken around here. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        March 18, 2021 at 2:09 pm

        Thanks John! I agree about that braising … our favorite too.

        Reply
    3. mjskitchen says

      March 15, 2021 at 10:29 am

      5 stars
      I love to braise! It adds so much flavor and a delightful texture to everything in the pot. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I like this recipe. It has so many flavors that I enjoy combined into one dish. Great recipe!

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        March 18, 2021 at 2:10 pm

        Hi MJ. Thanks for your note. I hope you give this recipe and try.

        Reply
    4. Karen (Back Road Journal) says

      March 14, 2021 at 2:08 pm

      Lea Ann, this chicken dish sounds fabulous…the sauce sounds like it would be great on other dishes as well. I’m pinning and can’t wait to try it.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        March 18, 2021 at 2:11 pm

        Hi Karen, always good to hear from you. Culinary school told me it was fabulous with pulled pork. Will try that next time.

        Reply
    5. Larry says

      March 14, 2021 at 6:15 am

      Wow chef, this looks awesome and will go on the try-soon list. I’ve two of your recipes (my current post) and another for my next one.

      Reply
      • Lea Ann Brown says

        March 18, 2021 at 2:11 pm

        Hi Larry – I’ll be anxious to hear what you think.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    I'm Lea Ann, Welcome to my Colorado kitchen. I'm a Culinary School Grad with a passion to inspire you to cook as often as you can. Here you'll find Wild West Colorado inspired recipes along some Southwestern and Mexican food favorites. I also share some special recipes from school along pro cooking tips. If you're an adventurous cook looking to spice up your meal plans, you'll find plenty of reliable, approachable, easy to follow recipes.

    More about me →

    Reader's Favorites

    • Chunky Homemade blue cheese dressing to serve on a wedge salad
      Thick and Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe
    • Cubed potatoes cooked in a cast iron skillet with rosemary
      Savory Cast Iron Skillet Potatoes
    • Old fashioned broccoli casserole recipe
      Broccoli Cheez Whiz Rice Casserole
    • crispy baked wings with celery sticks and ranch dressing.
      Crispy Baked Wings in Santa Fe Sauce

    Soups & Stews

    • Two bowls of spicy tomato soup served with bread.
      Spicy Tomato Soup From Canned Tomatoes
    • Fingerling potatoes and sausage soup.
      Easy Creamy Sausage Potato Soup
    • Black bean soup with ham and carrots.
      Sherried Black Bean And Ham Soup
    • Red wine beef stew with carrots and mushrooms.
      Jacques Pepin’s Beef Stew In Red Wine

    Glazed Corned Beef Sliders

    Instant Pot Corned Beef Sliders with melted Swiss cheese.

    Dessert Recipes

    • Chile Chocolate Bourbon Cake with Chocolate Bourbon Frosting
    • No bake key lime pie garnished with whipped cream and limes
      Key Lime Pie Recipe – No Bake
    • Strawberry tart recipe with lemon cream filling
      Strawberry Tart Recipe with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
    • Cream Cheese Cherry Delight.
      Cherry Delight, No Bake Old Fashioned Cream Cheese Cherry Dessert

    Footer

    Featured in and partnered with

    Privacy Policy

    • Privacy Policy

    Accessibility Statement

    Copyright © 2023 Cooking On The Ranch • Privacy Policy

    • 111
    224 shares
    224 shares