Chipotle Honey BBQ Sauce
Chipotle Honey Barbecue Sauce is a homemade condiment to keep around! A non-tomato based barbecue sauce, this is made with a combination of honey and chipotle peppers, among other ingredients, that are simmered down for the perfect sauce. This sauce is especially lovely with pork or chicken but can be used on anything you would normally use barbecue sauce for.
Is Honey Chipotle Spicy?
Store-bought honey chipotle barbecue sauce like the Sweet Baby Ray’s, contains a good bit of spice, but with this copy-cat recipe you can pick your own heat level! Chipotle peppers are spicy but used in moderation, and paired with the smoky adobo sauce, they are a perfect accompaniment to savory foods!
This recipe uses only 1 Tablespoon of the peppers, but you can adjust the quantity up or down according to your heat preference. This is spicy enough that my husband and I enjoy the little bit of heat, but not so spicy my kids won’t eat it as well.
How Can I Sweeten My BBQ Sauce?
Most barbecue sauces use brown sugar as a sweetener. However, the combination of honey with the chipotles made for such a delicious combination, that for this recipe honey is the best sweetener. If you let the sauce reduce too far then the honey can begin to sugar and get crystals in the sauce. If this happens, then simply add an additional ¼- ½ Cup of hot water and stir to combine and dissolve the crystallized honey.
In addition to brown sugar, some other delicious sweeteners for barbecue sauce are molasses, agave and maple syrup! 😋
What Does Honey Chipotle Taste Like?
The combination of sweet and spicy, with-out the overwhelming acidic notes of tomatoes, makes honey chipotle a lovely flavor pairing. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce have a very smoky flavor to go with their spice, making them perfect for that “just grilled” flavor we all love! Though the peppers are spicy, a little goes a long way, so start with less and adjust accordingly. The pairing with a sweetener like honey balances out and melds these flavors for a match made in heaven. Pair with lime and cilantro to give recipes a southwestern flair!
Making Barbecue Sauce Step By Step
- For this non-tomato barbecue sauce you begin by sautéing your onions and getting a light browning into the bottom of your skillet. You want to get that Maillard reaction going to help meld all these flavors!
- Next you add the lemon juice and water to the hot pan, scraping up any of those delicious brown bits.
- Lastly you will add the remaining ingredients of dijon mustard, honey, and spices.You then let the sauce simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes to thicken.
- That’s it! This easy chipotle honey barbecue sauce is ready for your favorite dish. We especially love to pair this recipe on pork, or chicken. You can swap out whatever sauce you like on this easy chicken wing recipe.
Storage:
Storing the BBQ Sauce:
Your chipotle honey barbecue sauce can be stored, covered in the fridge for up to two weeks, but is best used with-in one week.
Simply re-heat over the stove or in the microwave as needed.
Storing Your Leftover Chipotles
You rarely use a whole can of chipotles in adobo sauce for one recipe, however you can store the remaining peppers in a resealable freezer bag and freeze them for up to 6 months.
Whenever a recipe calls for chipotles, you can just slice off however much you need from the frozen chipotle peppers.
Serve With
Brush this chipotle barbecue sauce on your favorite meat dishes! Delicious on pork chops, or try it as the sauce on these easy chicken wings.
In addition to meats, you can also use this as a barbecue sauce on your pizza for a southwestern flavor pairing.
Chipotle Honey BBQ Sauce
Chipotle Honey Barbecue Sauce is a homemade condiment to keep around! A non-tomato based barbecue sauce, this is made with a combination of honey and chipotle peppers among other ingredients that are simmered down for the perfect sauce.This sauce is especially lovely with pork or chicken but can be used on anything you would normally use barbecue sauce for.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1/2 Onion, Chopped
- 1 Lemon, Juiced
- 3/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 1/2 Cup Honey
- 1/4 Cup Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Chipotles in Adobo Sauce, Minced
- 2 teaspoons Cumin
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium heat in the bottom of a small saucepan.
- Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and sauté until translucent, 3-5 minutes.
- Add the water and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- let simmer approximately 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced and begun to thicken slightly.
- Remove from heat and store covered, in the fridge, for up to 1 week.
- If the honey begins to sugar, then reheat over the stove top with an additional 1/4 Cup water.
Notes
- This easy chipotle barbecue sauce is perfect on chicken or pork!
- Store any leftover chipotles in adobo sauce in a re-sealable freezer bag in the freezer. Whenever you need some then just slice off however much you need!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 98Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 414mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 1g
*Nutrition information is automatically calculated and may not always be accurate.
You can’t beat homemade BBQ sauce and this chipotle version looks amazing.
My family is going to love this! The flavors are perfect and I can’t wait to try this recipe!
The sauce was amazing! I loved the mix of flavors!
This looks so good…I know I’m going to be putting this sauce on everything I eat!
Oh do I love making homemade sauces. This chipotle honey bbq sauce has such wonderful flavors and will be a great addition to my sauce recipes.