Orange Chipotle Chicken with Cilantro Rice Recipe
Clean Eating Quick & Easy Orange Chipotle Chicken Recipe!
This is one of my favorite clean eating recipes that I’ve tried so far. Full of flavor and easy to prepare. Another big plus is that this meal is very budget-friendly.
If you already have the brown rice cooked, this chicken is dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. Yes! Just stick some brown rice in a rice cooker, set it and forget it. 😉
You will want to pound the chicken down to about 1/2-inch thickness. If the chicken breasts are really large, you can carefully slice them in half to achieve that 1/2-inch thickness too. This thickness ensures even, quick cooking and it allows the orange chipotle glaze and seasonings to really stand out.
I have mentioned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce before. But if you haven’t used them before, do not fear. Find it easily in the Hispanic food section at any grocery store, not far from the green chilies. In this recipe, you can reduce it from 1 tablespoon to 2 teaspoons if you are worried about spiciness.
Pull the peppers out of the can, letting the extra sauce drip back into the can. Slit each pepper open and gently rinse or scrape the seeds out. Then chop up the peppers a bit. In a food processor or blender, blend the chopped peppers with the adobo sauce. Freeze the leftovers in 1-teaspoon amounts. (I use an ice cube tray to freeze the individual portions.) Then you have some to use next time or in these other great recipes:
- Chipotle Chicken Kebabs with Creamy Cilantro Sauce (Another one of my favorites!)
- Chipotle Chicken and Rice Soup
- Chipotle Meatballs
- Chicken with Chipotle Alfredo Sauce
- Beef Taquitos
- Slow Cooker Carne Asada Tacos
Maple syrup and orange juice. Not just for breakfast. Wonderful on chicken!
I would also like to note that you will want to have all of the ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start. This recipe moves fast!
RSVP Herb Scissors. Perfect for chopping cilantro and other herbs!
Orange Chipotle Chicken with Cilantro Rice Recipe
Fabulessly Frugal

Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon chile powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon safflower oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound), rinsed and patted dry, pounded 1/2-inch thick
- juice 1 large navel orange (1/3 cup)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1/4 cup packed chopped cilantro leaves
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine chile powder, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Tilt the skillet to coat bottom. Season both sides of chicken with chile-cumin mixture and cook for 3 minutes per side, until cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Add orange juice and maple syrup to juice and bits left in skillet and cook for 1 minute to thicken slightly (until it measures about 1/4 cup liquid), stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in chipotle chiles in adobo sauce and orange zest. Add chicken back to skillet, return to heat and cook for 1 minute on medium-high, turning chicken constantly.
- In a medium bowl, combine rice, cilantro and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve chicken over rice and spoon any excess glaze over top of chicken.
Notes
Prepare all of the ingredients before you start cooking because this recipe moves fast!

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This sounds amazing. Does the chili peppers make this spicy? My 4 year old twins love orange chicken but can’t handle spicy.
The chipotle peppers do make it a little bit spicy. You can definitely reduce the amount, or even try omitting the chipotle peppers all together, if you want to. 🙂
What is the serving size?
Should be about 1/4 pound of chicken and about 1/2 cup of cooked rice for each serving.
How many calories does this have
I don’t know, but you can enter it in to an online calorie calculator to get a good idea! https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=free+calorie+calculator
The Instant Pot version of the recipe says to replace the skillet portion of the original recipe using the sauté setting, and then pressure cook for five minutes. Since the original recipe is cooked in the skillet the entire time, at what point does the pressure cook option come in? Would you add the juice, maple syrup, and chipotle after pressure cooking the chicken for five minutes, or do you complete all the steps and then throw in the chicken at the end, pressure cooking it all together? I did the latter and it came out rubbery and watery. A little more info would be helpful, so I can make it the way it was intended. Thank you!
I was wondering this same thing….. the directions just aren’t clear at all. Also, shouldn’t there be at least 1 cup of water when cooking in the IP?
Honestly, I have not made this recipe in the Instant Pot and I cannot figure out who added those instructions. I went ahead and deleted the Instant Pot instructions because I personally do not think it will turn out as good if cooked that way!