Chipotle Slaw

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This 5 minute Chipotle Slaw is the perfect way to add crunch and boost the flavor of your favorite Mexican dishes! It’s cool, creamy and tangy with just the right amount of smoky spice!

How to make Chipotle Slaw:

You’ll start by combining sour cream, lime juice, lime zest, mayonnaise, cilantro, chiles in adobo, honey and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.

Add broccoli slaw and stir until everything is well coated in the dressing.

Serve chipotle slaw with your favorite tacos, tostadas or carnitas.

Why you’re going to love this coleslaw:

• It’s really easy. 7 ingredient and 5 quick minutes mean you can serve this chipotle slaw alongside your favorite Mexican dish in no time! Take the extra few minutes to throw this one together – your family is going to LOVE it.
• It adds great texture and crunch to any dish. If you need to take a boring weeknight meal to the next level, this coleslaw is the way to go! It adds a cool, creamy, crunchy layer to any of your favorite warm Mexican dishes.
• It’s unexpected. Everyone is used to the traditional mayo laden coleslaw – perhaps with a BBQ pork sandwich – but not everyone will be expecting this light, tangy, slightly spicy version with crunchy broccoli slaw.
• It’s not super spicy – I promise! In my younger days, my motto was “the spicier the better”. Then I got old – and got heartburn – and now my motto is “don’t make it to spicy or I’ll get heartburn”. The smokiness of the chiles in adobo is really what comes through in this slaw (more than any heat or spice). It’s more of a slow, back of your throat, very slight heat as opposed to the slap you in the face heat of say a pickled jalapeno.

Tips for making the best coleslaw:

• If you can make it ahead of time – you definitely should! This slaw is just going to get better with time. 12 hours in the fridge is going to let the flavors marry and make it even more delicious. This coleslaw will stay fresh in the fridge (in an airtight container) for up to 7 days. Just be aware that the purple cabbage in the slaw will slowly turn the dressing a light purple color. But the flavors will still be great!
• If you are making this ahead of time – be sure to taste it before serving and add a bit more salt and pepper. This will really boost all the flavors in the coleslaw and make sure that nothing gets muted or overpowered.
• Use full fat sour cream and full fat mayo. You aren’t using that much of either and you’re coating straight veggies in the dressing, so don’t feel guilty about using the full fat version of these two. You really shouldn’t ever feel guilty about anything you eat, but that’s probably a top for another day… The fat from the sour cream and mayo is going to add extra flavor and dimension to the slaw and make sure that it’s extra smooth and creamy.

Frequently asked questions:

• Can I use a traditional coleslaw mix in place of the broccoli slaw?
  • Of course! I just like the extra crunchy texture that broccoli slaw has, but a regular coleslaw mix would be just as tasty!
  • Keep in mind however, that traditional coleslaw mix is going to soften much quicker than broccoli slaw, which means when made with coleslaw mix, this slaw will probably only last for 2-3 days before it gets TOO soft.
• How long will this coleslaw stay good?
  • When stored in the fridge in an airtight container, this slaw is going to stay good for up to a week. Keep in mind that as the slaw sits, the purple cabbage will slowly turn the dressing a purple color, giving the slaw a light purple hue. Nothing to worry about – it will still taste amazing!
• How much salt and pepper do I add?
  • Most recipes say “salt to taste”. I can understand that some may find this frustrating, but everyone has a different preference and that’s why many recipes are written this way.
  • You’ll know you’ve added enough salt when you take a bite of the dish and can taste just a hint of salt in it.
  • Most folks don’t realize that the reason they love going out to eat is because most restaurant chefs are salting the heck out of your food. Salt = flavor. So don’t be afraid of it!
  • Start with a couple pinches of salt and pepper and add more as needed until you can just taste a hint of salt in the dish.

What you should serve with this Chipotle Slaw:

• Easy Honey Lime Chicken Tacos
• Slow Cooker Beer Braised Pork Carnitas
• Shredded Chicken Tostadas
• Healthy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Tacos
• Baked Fish Tacos

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