Chipotle Orange Shrimp with Cilantro Rice (2024)

Chipotle Orange Shrimp with Cilantro Rice! Tender shrimp in a sweet-meets-smoky cream sauce piled high on cilantro-speckled rice with a side of tangy cucumbers.

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This turned out great! Five stars for prepping everything in 15 minutes while my baby napped and then spending another 15 cooking it after putting her to bed. I think making the cucumbers a few hours ahead made them that much better. They got pickly instead of more salad like and added a very unique pop. Loved having something new that actually was so easy! Great with brown rice.

Chipotle Orange Shrimp with Cilantro Rice (2)Jessica

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This is a fan favorite recipe that’s part of our Fall 2022 SOS Series!View the full series.

Holy yummm.

I love all of the SOS series recipes but I REALLY LOVE THIS RECIPE, all caps necessary.

First of all, juicy, tender, sweet, and delicate shrimp is just automatically really SOS-friendly because it’s so fast to cook (like, five minutes fast) and tastes like you live at a fancy restaurant. So there’s that.

But secondly, that creamy chipotle orange sauce. WUT. It’s so good. Who even knew?! It’s creamy and smoky and sweet – the flavor combination of fresh orange zest and a bold chipotle pepper is a total surprise and yet feels comforting and familiar at the same time. It packs some heat, for sure, but it’s also really luscious and cozy because heavy whipping cream takes everything to the next level (♡) and also because a pile of hot steamy rice will never not be comforting. The zippy cucumbers wake the whole thing up and cut through the richness of the sauce with a little zap and zing and crunch, and just, wow. I love this recipe. Did I say that already?

Chipotle Orange Shrimp with Cilantro Rice (3)

Ingredients We’re Working with Today

There are a few elements at play here which makes it rank just a little higher on the SOS scale – similar to the Harissa Meatballs with Whipped Feta. But never fear: nothing is difficult. Nothing is overwhelming. Our ingredient list stays short and sweet.

  • shrimp
  • orange
  • chipotle
  • cream
  • cilantro
  • cucumbers

A few pantry staples like salt, garlic, oil, and vinegar round it all out into a complete and total spicy shrimp miracle.

If you need even more shortcuts – skip the cucumbers in favor of an easy no-cutting-board-required side salad. Or use cauliflower rice or pre-cooked rice. But if you can spare the extra five minutes to slice up a cucumber and cook your own rice, you will not be sad about it.

I could cry tears of joy just looking at this saucy, creamy, spicy goodness.

Chipotle Orange Shrimp with Cilantro Rice (4)

Treat your people! Treat yourself! I mean, because seriously. This one is a TREAT.

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Chipotle Orange Shrimp with Cilantro Rice: FAQs

Is this dish pretty spicy?

Yes – it has some heat to it from the chipotle pepper. Just use just half of a chipotle pepper for a milder version.

How can I make this dairy-free?

You can sub the cream for canned full-fat coconut milk! It’s good, just not quite as creamy.

This sounds amazing, but I’m allergic to shrimp. Any substitution ideas?

Salmon or chicken could work or some crispy pan-fried tofu for a vegetarian option!


Source notes: I got this idea from my old beloved Cooking Light cookbook Fresh Food Fast (affiliate link) which now feels so retro! But man, I love that old thing. There’s a recipe for chipotle orange shrimp in the book – I made a few changes based on some of my preferences, but the flavor idea came from that cookbook. Thank you, CL!

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Chipotle Orange Shrimp with Cilantro Rice (5)

Chipotle Orange Shrimp with Cilantro Rice

4.9 from 40 reviews
  • Author: Lindsay
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 24 servings (I can definitely eat half of this by myself) 1x
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Description

Chipotle Orange Shrimp with Cilantro Rice! Tender shrimp in a sweet-meets-smoky cream sauce piled high on cilantro-speckled rice with a side of tangy cucumbers.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Chipotle Orange Sauce:

  • 1 chipotle pepper (or half of one pepper, for a less spicy version)
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • zest of one orange

Shrimp and Rice:

  • a drizzle of olive oil
  • 1 pound uncooked shrimp, tails removed, patted dry
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 1/2 cups white rice (I like jasmine rice or just plain long grain rice)
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Cucumbers:

  • 2 small cucumbers (or one large), thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Cucumbers: Toss together all the cucumber ingredients. Set aside.
  2. Sauce: Blend sauce ingredients together until mostly smooth. But don’t overblend! See notes.

  3. Rice: Cook rice according to package directions. Stir in cilantro and salt to taste (+ add lime juice, or the juice of the zested orange, if you want some citrus goodness in there).

  4. Shrimp: Heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and sauté for 2 minutes on each side, sprinkling with the cumin, plus some salt and pepper.

  5. Finish: Add the sauce and simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Serve shrimp over rice, with a salad or some fresh zippy cucumbers.

Notes

Blending: The heavy whipping cream will start to get a whipped texture the longer you blend it, so don’t over-blend! We just want the garlic and chipotle mostly smoothed out so they can incorporate into the sauce. I use a little mini-chopper for this. If you accidentally find yourself with a whipped texture that’s okay, it’ll settle down and loosen up once it warms up in the pan.

Shrimp: You do not want your shrimp to be watery, so if you’re using frozen shrimp be sure to fully thaw it and pat the excess water out before sending it to the pan. If there’s some moisture in the pan before adding the sauce you’ll want to drain that out (but that shouldn’t be an issue as long as your shrimp is thawed and dry when it goes into the pan). Also: the shrimp is also good with a pinch of sugar added to it for a little sweetness, or the juice of the orange squeezed in!

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: shrimp bowl, shrimp and rice, shrimp recipe

More Shrimp Recipe Goodness

  • Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Garlic Cilantro Lime Slaw (fast, easy, and the best thing to look forward to at the end of the day)
  • Spicy Shrimp Veracruz (always say yes to juicy shrimp in a tomato-y, briny sauce)
  • Creamy Shrimp Pasta with Corn and Tomatoes (you’re only 30 minutes away from creamy, garlicky, summery noodles with this one)
  • Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing (this might just be the happiest green salad EVER!)
Chipotle Orange Shrimp with Cilantro Rice (2024)

FAQs

What kind of rice do Chipotle use? ›

Around here, all you need to know is that we use long-grain white rice. We have always been committed to preparing real food made with real ingredients. You know, the kind you can recognize and pronounce.

Does Chipotle put cilantro in brown rice? ›

Cilantro Lime Brown Rice Ingredients

Chipotle says, “We simmer the whole-grain rice with bay leaves to add savory flavors, then season it with lemon and lime juices and toss it with cilantro for a slightly tart, fresh taste.”

Why is Chipotle rice so good? ›

Lime juice lends sweetness and just a touch of bitterness, while lemon juice adds a little sourness. But the real secret to this famed rice isn't what you may think it is. It's not some special spice blend or magical cooking method — it's a bay leaf.

Does Chipotle put oil in their rice? ›

Apparently Chipotle simply cooks the rice grains in water with a bay leaf and then they add the salt, oil, cilantro, lime juice, and lemon juice all after the rice is done cooking. Some sources say they use rice bran oil but it can be both hard to find and more expensive.

Which tastes better, jasmine or basmati rice? ›

Both jasmine and basmati rice have a more pronounced aroma and taste than standard white rice. Choose jasmine rice when you want a fluffy, creamy dish. Try basmati in a pilaf, salad, or grain bowl where you want the texture of the individual rice grains to shine through.

Is basmati rice healthy? ›

Because of its rich content in minerals like iron, zinc, phosphorous, magnesium, and copper, you should include this in your daily diet. Given its mineral content, you can count basmati rice as one of the healthiest cereals available.

Does Chipotle use cauliflower rice? ›

"Our guests crave real, plant-based options so we developed a new flavor packed recipe that aligns with our Food with Integrity standards." In January 2021, Chipotle featured Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice across all U.S. and Canadian restaurants, resulting in an incremental sales lift while also attracting new guests.

Is jasmine long-grain rice? ›

Jasmine rice is a long-grain rice. This means that it is longer and thinner than most other types of rice. It also tends to have a fluffy texture when cooked, rather than soft and clumpy.

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