Tender, sweet, and spicy, this honey chipotle salmon makes an ideal dinner when you crave big on flavor but youโre short on time. Glazed with a honey-butter-garlic-chipotle sauce and infused with incredible smokinessโฆ well, letโs just say all of your other dinners will be jealous.
Hereโs the round-up of what you need for this honey chipotle salmon dish. Brace yourself, thereโs quite a lot. (Ha!) The total number of ingredients? Just 5! (Plus salt and pepper.)
- salmon
- honey
- chipotle chili spice
- garlic
- butter
Itโs even easier than this favorite honey garlic soy glazed salmon.
Tell Me About this Honey Chipotle Salmon
- Texture: The salmon is moist, tender, and flaky. If you love salmon like this, try our bake lemon herb salmon tooโanother favorite!
- Flavor: With so few ingredients, itโs important to use each since they all serve a purpose. Honey? Flavor. Chili spice? More flavor. Garlic? Even more flavor. Butter? (Donโt leave this one out!) The salmon is marinated in half of the sauce mixture first, then brushed with more once itโs hot off the grill or fresh out of the oven. This really helps to lock in the sweet and spicy buttery flavor, while keeping the centers super moist and tender.
- Ease: Combine the marinade ingredients, pour the mixture into a bag with the salmon. Then grill or bake in the oven. It doesnโt get any easier than this.
- Time: 30 minutes from start of prep to table.
Overview: How to Make Honey Chipotle Salmon
The full printable recipe is below, but letโs walk through it so you understand each step before you get started.
For this simple and easy fish recipe, you can choose to grill the salmon on foil or on a cedar plank or bake it in the oven.
- Marinate the salmon. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Combine the salmon and half the marinade and set aside for at least 15 minutes or up to 8 hours.
- Preheat your grill or oven.
- Cook the fish. Grill the salmon on foil or on a cedar plank, skin side down. Or, place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake.
- Brush with the remaining marinade. Brush just before serving for an added boost of flavor.
If you want a side dish idea, we love this salmon with corn black bean & avocado salsa. Even though you can serve it as a dip, it makes a wonderful side dish salad. This zucchini casserole would be excellent as well!
More Dinner Recipes
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Crab Cakes
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Corn Fritters & Zucchini Fritters
- Black Bean Burgers or Caprese Chicken Burgers
- Apple Cider Chicken
Easy Honey Chipotle Salmon
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: American
Description
This easy honey chipotle salmon is made with only 5 ingredients and comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (85g) honey
- 1 โ 2 garlic cloves, minced (I use 2)
- 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper*
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 individual salmon fillets (or a large 2 lb. (900g) fillet)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk everything together (except for the salmon, of course). Place the salmon in a tupperware, baking dish, or zipped-top bag. Pour half of the marinade on top. Give everything a nice shake. Reserve the rest for step 4. Marinate for at least 15 minutes or up to 8 hours.
- Meanwhile, fire up the grill to medium-high heat or preheat oven to 375ยฐF (191ยฐC).
- You can grill the salmon on foil or on a cedar plank. Grill the salmon skin side down for 15 minutesโabout 10 minutes per 1-inch inch thickness measured from the thickest part of the fillet or until the thickest part reaches 145ยฐF (63ยฐC) internal heat.
- Or bake the salmon on a lined baking sheet for 15โ20 minutes depending on thickness and until the thickest part reaches 145ยฐF (63ยฐC) internal heat.
- Brush the warm salmon with remaining marinade before serving. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. Reheat to your liking.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Pastry Brush
- Chipotle Chili Pepper: Or just use regular chili powder.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I made this and it was very good! I donโt normally like fish but it was very yummy with the sauce! I will make it with a little less chipotle powder next time because my family canโt tolerate much spice. Winner winner, fishy dinner!
I made this recipe tonight and we all really enjoyed it. I do not like fish but am trying to get healthier foods and thought this would be a good. And it was. My husband did grill this, and I think that made it better. I would definitely try this again.
This was fabulous. Just the right combo of everything. A kick of spice, but just enough. Will make this again, and soon
Love this recipe for itโs simplicity and flavor! Iโve made it a couple times and itโs always great. Sweet and smokey and pairs with any side. Thank you!
This is delicious! Easy and tastes like something youโd get at a nice restaurant. The 2nd time I made it, I used Mikeโs Hot Honey and it made it even better!
Love the receipt. Do you happen to know one with a whisky marinade that is done the same way
Iโve made this recipe numerous times and it always comes out great! I recently started making it in the instant pot (3 mins on low pressure in a slow cooker bag on the rack, quick release) and itโs next level.
Made this for Fatherโs Day dinner and everyone loved it. Delicious and simple. Itโs for sure going to be a family classic. Thank you, Sally!!
This was fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out beautifully. Next time I think Iโm going to make sure to leave the marinade on for a few hours (I only had it on for an hour) just to deepen the flavor, and I might even put some adobo sauce from canned chipotles in with it, too. It had just the right amount of kick for us, and the salmon came out of the oven incredibly moist. We ate it with some chipotle mashed sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and broccoli, and the marinade brushed over the salmon at the end livened up the potatoes nicely.
I really really loved how this recipe turned out and thought it went so nicely with wild rice & broccoli just as pictured.
Could you use olive oil or something else besides butter ? If so, same amount ?
Thanks!
Absolutelyโ same amount. The flavor of the dish will change, though.
Love this recipe! So easy and delicious! My husband enjoyed it and is looking forward to leftovers tomorrow night!
Hi Sally I just prepared the salmon for dinner. delicious!!!! Made a few changement I used 2 tablespoon olive oil instead of butter. Instead of honey I used maple sirup and replaced the ground chipotle chili pepper with 2 teaspoons adobo sauce and one canned chipotle chili.
I forgot how much I loved this recipe!!! Made it tonight on my cast iron skillet and it was delish!!!
I made this last night for my husband and he really loved it. I am a vegetarian but the marinade smelled amazing. I could not believe how EASY it was! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Made this the other night and it was sooo good! Love the combo of sweet and spice, and that itโs simple with pantry/fridge staples. Will definitely be making this again!
Made this for dinner a few days ago and it was delectable!! My new favorite salmon recipe! Thanks so much for sharing ๐
PS: we did the oven method and added in a little chili paste.
It only took a couple of bites for my husband to start raving about this dish! I plan to try the marinade on some grilled chicken next. Thanks for the great savory recipe ideas!
I made this for dinner last night and made it in the oven. It is so easy, and so good. I didnโt know what I was going to make for dinner and then you saved me with your recipe in my inbox. This will be a repeater. Along with that garlic shrimp dishโฆand now I have the other sesame shrimp and chicken to fall back on. I served my salmon with roasted baby bok choy which I cooked in the oven at the same time as my salmonโฆ.sheet pan dinnersโฆlove it for the ease, simplicity and clean up. Thank you.