Want a cream sauce with an ever-so-mild heat for that poultry or fish dish? This poblano cream sauce recipe hits just the right notes. Poblano chilies are very mild hot peppers (1,000 to 1,500 Scoville heat units), two to eight times milder than the jalapeño pepper (2,500 to 8,000 SHU). They are easy to find in many grocery stores, so it’s simple to pull this recipe together. Try it over chicken breast, turkey, or white fish. It’s very tasty.
Of course, this sauce works quite well with other chilies, too. So if you’re looking for something spicier, try reaching for those low medium heat jalapeños or even consider an even hotter serrano chili (10,000 to 23,000 SHU). They each provide a brighter, grassier bite than the earthy poblano, but it’s still plenty tasty.
Like this poblano cream sauce? You’ll like these recipes too:
- Peach Habanero Sauce: This is a much hotter experience, but the pairing of peaches and habs is delicious. Great on chicken or pork. Or try it as a fish taco sauce.
- Habanero Cream Sauce: This is a step up, too, in spiciness, but as a cream sauce, it has many similar uses.
- Maple Sriracha Sauce: The rooster sauce meets maple syrup in this super-easy recipe. It’s great as a chicken ginger dipper.
Poblano Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 poblano peppers
- 3 teaspoons oil
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 1 onion chopped
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup Mexican Crema
- Pinch salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Char and prep the poblano chilies
- Set the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the poblano peppers on a parchment-lined baking pan. Bake the chilies for 20 to 30 minutes, flipping the chilies half-way to allow charring on all sides.
- Remove the poblanos from the oven and place them in a Ziploc bag (sealed) for 10 minutes. This will help loosen up the skin.
- Remove the poblano peppers from the Ziploc and peel off the skins and stem. Halve the poblanos lengthwise and remove the seeds.
Making the cream sauce
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the oil.
- Saute the garlic and onion until the onion is slightly translucent.
- Place the poblanos, garlic, onions, and milk into a blender. Puree the mix until smooth.
- Clean the oil from the saucepan, then melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and stir until combined.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the poblano mix from the blender. Stir to fully combine with the butter and flour.
- Add the crema and stir to completely combine. Allow the sauce to thicken for 5 minutes (or until it reaches your desired consistency.)
- Remove from the sauce from the heat and allow it to cool. Serve.