Chipotle Honey-Glazed Chicken with Avocado Cream Sauce

"My experience in Amsterdam is that cyclists ride where the hell they like
and aim in a state of rage at all pedestrians while ringing their bell loudly,
the concept of avoiding people being foreign to them."
Terry Prachett

For those who have visited Amsterdam, one thing probably struck you, like it did me (though I had heard all this before, seeing it is a whole other thing). The Dutch love riding bicycles — called ‘fietsen’, pronounced FEETS-un.
They ride them everywhere and often, whether rain or shine.
The city is filled with bike lanes too, so cars, trams, buses AND bikes can all share the road together.
Except that cars and traffic are the ones who yield and show care to bikes.
It’s amazing to come to an intersection on your bike and have the cars let you go even if they have the traffic light.
A shrill ‘brrriiingg’ of the bell, and you will have people leaping out of your way as you buzz past.

Riding a bike is a way of life in the Netherlands.
The Dutch go to work, pick up groceries, or go out at night for dinner and drinks on their two-wheelers. It’s their daily method of transport.
You see couples holding hands while cycling side-by-side. Parents riding next to their children, a hand on the kid’s back to guide them along. Moms riding ‘bakfiets’, or ‘box bicycles’ - bikes with a wagon attached to the front - with their kids snoozing inside.
Bikes are so well ingrained in Dutch culture that on average, each household owns at least three.

Riding bikes all the time might be one of the reasons why Dutch are very tall, very fit, and very good-looking.
I’m dead serious people. It’s pretty rare to see an overweight person in the Netherlands.
Health and good looks are just two of the positive externalities produced by riding bikes instead of driving.
Others include: Cleaner air (because bikes, unlike cars, don't produce carbon emissions), reduced traffic congestion, lower health-care costs, stress relief and - more importantly- saving money: the average annual operation expense of a bicycle is about $308, versus more than $8,000 for car[1].
So what are we waiting for people? Let’s hop on our bikes and save the world!
As I wanted to “do what the locals do”, I borrowed my brother-in-law’s ride and hit the street of Amsterdam.
Don’t I look like the part?[As small side note. If you can’t ride a bike, don’t begin in Amsterdam. It is a similar experience to crossing the road in Asian cities, just with fancier bikes and taller people. Locals get seriously peeved by stupid tourists trying to steer their bikes around and blocking the roads.]

Anyways, as I was riding through the streets of Amsterdam the other day, I passed by a food store that had in its windows Pop Tarts, Skippy peanut butter, Betty Crocker mixes and Frank’s Red Hot.
Say what????
I was just too curious, so I entered the shop to discover an array of Asian, Mexican, Southern, Tex Mex, and Southwestern products. Not to mention marshmallow fluff, root beer, various brands of BBQ sauces, and corn tortillas.
The moment I spotted a can of ‘chipotle peppers in adobo sauce’, I knew right away I had to make my worldwide famous chipotle honey-glazed chicken.

This chicken is sweet and spicy, not too spicy though. The spices provide flavor here but no real heat.
The woodiness and earthiness of the paprika, the sticky sweetness of the honey, the distinct smokiness flavor of the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, make this chicken so worthy of your grill.

The slightly sweet, slightly tangy avocado cream sauce is a wonderful compliment to the smoky flavor of the chicken, not to mention good enough to eat with a spoon. Avocados are great for making sauces because they are naturally thick and creamy. And of course they are delicious.
This was a huge hit and once you sink your teeth into it, you'll know why.
This Chipotle Honey-Glazed Chicken with Avocado Cream Sauce gets RAVE reviews every time I make it. Seriously, it's that good.
Try it at least once. You'll be sure to make it again!

Chipotle Honey-Glazed Chicken with Avocado Cream Sauce                      Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 4

Chicken

1 lb / 453 gr free-range organic chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons raw organic honey
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Handful of cilantro, chopped for serving

Avocado cream sauce

1 avocado, pitted and scooped out
20 leaves (about a handful) fresh basil leaves
Juice of one lime
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Directions

Combine chipotle chiles, garlic, honey, cumin, paprika, salt and olive oil in a food processor (or blender) and process until smooth. If it’s too thick add a couple of tablespoons of water.
Combine chicken and marinade in shallow dish or ZipLoc bag. Cover or seal and marinate for at least 30 minutes (marinate overnight for fullest flavor).
In the meantime make the avocado cream sauce. Place all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and blend until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
Heat a grill or a grill pan to medium-high (if you’re using an outdoor grill lightly oil the grill grates)
and cook chicken until nicely charred and cooked through (about 4 to 5 minutes per side).
Transfer to a plate, sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro, and serve with avocado cream sauce on the side.

Nutrition facts

One serving sans avocado cream sauce yields 208 calories, 9 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbs and 23 grams of protein.
One serving with avocado cream sauce yields 322 calories, 20 grams of fat, 15 grams of carbs and 24 grams of protein.