Chipotle chili peppers are earthy, smoky and spicy. They are very similar to tabasco sauce as far as the heat factor. Smoked chipotle chilis are often a main ingredient in many Mexican dishes and come in many forms such as a powder, dried pods that can be added to soups, as a wet marinade or in a can with adobo sauce.

This extremely tasty Twice Baked Chipotle Chicken Potato Recipe uses the latter from the can, which is available in your grocery store on the International aisle. You can serve these for lunch or for dinner with a light salad. They are very inexpensive and are easy to make. If you like the heat from chilies, you can vary the amount of chipotle peppers you add to this recipe.

Please read my Chef’s notes at the end of this recipe for other ideas for creating your own baked potatoes and for the variations I used in the image. This recipe was a big hit with my husband and children. They held up well reheated in the microwave. Enjoy!


Ingredients

4 large russet baking potatoes
Aluminum foil to wrap the potatoes
3 tbsp. butter, melted (or more as desired)
4 tbsp. milk
Salt and pepper to taste
8 slices smoked bacon, cooked and chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups cooked chicken (I used leftover rotisserie chicken), chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce, diced
4 tbsp. adobo sauce from the same can
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup scallions (green or spring) onions, finely chopped, optional
Sour cream, optional

Method

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

1. Wash the potatoes and pat them dry. Wrap each potato in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until cooked through. Test with a sharp knife in the center. Set aside to cool enough to handle.

2. While the potatoes are cooling down, sauté the onion over a medium heat in a skillet until opaque, seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Unwrap the baked potatoes and cut in half lengthways. Carefully scoop out most of the potato from the skins, leaving approximately a 1/4 inch of potato on the skins, into a bowl and mash with the butter, milk, salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add the chicken, bacon, onion, cilantro, chipotle chilis and adobo sauce to the mashed potatoes and mix well.

5. Divide the potato mixture evenly back into the skins and top well with the cheddar cheese. Place the potatoes onto a foil covered baking sheet and bake until the potatoes are warmed through and the cheese is melted and bubbly.

6. Top each potato with a spoonful of sour cream and garnish with the scallions if desired.

Chef’s Notes

The 3 baked potatoes in the image above are barbeque chicken with bacon and cheese (bottom left), chicken, broccoli, bacon and cheddar (center), chipotle chicken, bacon and cheese (top right.)

All of these ingredients were leftovers. I only purchased the chipotles and the potatoes, so it was a very economical meal. As I used similar ingredients in all 3, I divided the mashed potato and added barbeque sauce to one and the veggies to another, then used the chipotle in the others. You could leave out the chicken in the broccoli baked potato for a vegetarian option.

Baked potatoes and their ingredients are only limited by your imagination, just about anything can go into making them. By following the method in this recipe you can use leftovers from your refrigerator and by adding a few spices and seasonings from your pantry you can make some wonderful twice baked potatoes which you can label as your own!

Find Chipotle Chili Peppers in Adobo sauce for a great price right here:-