Honey Chipotle Salmon
This post may contain Affiliate Links. Please see my Full Disclosure Policy for more details.
This honey chipotle salmon recipe is one of our go-to weeknight meals. Made with only 6 simple ingredients, today’s recipe has the perfect balance of sweet-savory-spicy thanks to the smoky and sweet honey chipotle sauce brushed onto the salmon fillets. So delicious, so easy, and done in less than 30 minutes!
My mama would make honey chipotle salmon pretty often when I was a teen, and it ended up being one of my favorite meals. Easy to prepare, doesn't take long, and is absolutely excellent on salmon rice bowls for dinner the next day.
Now I make it for my family, who can't wait to dig in whenever it's on the meal plan. favorite ways to eat salmon, and a staple in our healthy dinners repertoire. It's such an easy recipe: stir together the honey-chipotle sauce, brush it onto the salmon, and roast for just over 15 minutes. It's a great weeknight dish that never disappoints!
Jump to:
Ingredients
Chipotle, chili powder, or red pepper flakes if you don't have chili powder or chipotle. Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapeños so they have that spice mixed with the smoky flavor.
Salmon filets. Be sure to use good quality salmon; if you're using farmed salmon, be sure to know the source it's from. Thanks to modern technology and a little intel, you can find good-for-you, sustainable, farm-raised salmon. They are grown in many indoor circulation tanks with wastewater treatment systems rather than in marine net pens (those are the ones you want to avoid!).
Garlic powder.
Honey. I've been loving using honey in basically everything lately. It's a thing.
Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt. I love the Pepper Cannon hubs got me as a gift, this thing cranks out ALL the pepper you need in just two cranks. It's insane.
How to Buy the Best Salmon for Your Buck
Shopping at the grocery store, it's good to know how to find a piece of fish that won't make you regret buying it.
First, smell your salmon. It shouldn't stink, it definitely should not smell fishy, it shouldn't be off-putting at all.
Next, look at how moist it is. If the flesh is dry, if there is 'gaping' (meaning the flesh is sort of flaking away from itself), or it's starting to brown and curl up around the edges, don't buy it. Salmon should be very moist looking with a vibrant color, not pale. And those colors can vary -- from bright reddish-pink to coral, depending on the breed of salmon.
If you're buying those portioned salmon filets at the seafood case, choose center cut filets. These are thicker, more consistent-sized cuts while the tail ends are flatter and will cook too quickly.
How to Make this Easy Honey Chipotle Salmon
Place the salmon on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper.
Mix the ingredients for the honey chipotle sauce together then brush it evenly over the salmon filet.
Roast in a 375 degree oven for 15-18 minutes. The internal temperature should be at 125 degrees F for perfect medium doneness.
Side Dishes to Serve with It
Serve your sweet and spicy salmon with classic hispanic black beans and rice. Bonus points for vibrant cilantro lime rice. Both are crazy easy to make!
Make it a healthy salmon rice bowl using cauliflower rice instead.
Add a simple salad, a little green, and a fresh mango salsa for a perfect Mexican-inspired meal!
FAQ
Made your meal too spicy? I've been there! Lemon juice (or lime juice!) can cool down the spice levels in a recipe.
You can cook the salmon with the skin on, then peel it right off before serving.
More seafood dinners
- Brown Butter Lemon Salmon Sheet Pan with Herby Potatoes and Asparagus
- The Best Pasta with Lobster Cream Sauce
- Salmon en Papillote with Gremolata
- Ahi Tuna Poké Bowls
Click here to subscribe SWEET TEA & THYME’S NEWSLETTER for free and fresh recipes right into your inbox!
To pin this recipe and save it for later you can use the Pin button on the recipe card, the sharing buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above.
Tag me @sweet_tea_thyme on Instagram to share your remakes with me, I love looking through your photos!
Enjoyed the recipe? Leave a 5 star rating and comment below to let me know. I appreciate ya!
📖 Recipe
Honey Chipotle Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 whole fillet fresh salmon skin off
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- ½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 teaspoon ground chipotle
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside place the salmon filet on the parchment. Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper.
- In a measuring cup or microwave safe bowl, mix honey, chipotle powder, and garlic powder, then heat in the microwave for 30 seconds until loose and liquidy.
- Generously brush or spoon the honey mixture over the entire salmon fillet.
- Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part says 125 degrees F (52 degrees C).
- Cut the honey chipotle salmon into serving sizes (6 oz pieces) and serve hot.
I had this dish at a restaurant and was hooked! I found your recipe online so I could make my own. It is AMAZING!!! My family loves this and would eat it every single day!
We loved this! So, so good. Started to roast some veggies as I prepped the fish, then threw the filet on with the veggies for a sheet-pan meal.
Made this for dinner tonight and we all loved it! Had great flavor & was super easy to make. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
This salmon recipe sounds so delicious! Definitely love the combination of flavors! Thanks for sharing!
This is really flavorful! A sure hit for dinner!
We love salmon! This is a must make for dinner!
I love salmon but don't cook it often. Don't know why as it's a really easy fish to prepare as your recipes shows. Love the honey and spice in this salmon dish. Def want to try it!
Salmon is my favorite fish! I'm always looking for new ways to prepare it! This sounds tasty.
This is my favorite kind of recipe, easy, but intensely flavored! We eat salmon at least once a week, so I'll try this soon, thanks for the great inspiration 🙂 Love that great color, too!
what a great flavor combo! this looks delicious
This salmon dish sounds out of this world delicious. I love salmon, but always have a hard time with flavors. This is getting made this week.
Oooh I've made this with chili powder before but the chipolte is a great idea!! Love chipotle with honey - great flavors!