Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels.

Season both sides with salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika.

I noticed drying the chicken first helps it brown better instead of steaming in the pan.

Let the chicken sit for about 10 minutes while you prep the sauce ingredients.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add the chicken thighs in a single layer.

Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes on the first side until golden brown. Flip and cook another 5 minutes.

The chicken doesn’t need to be fully cooked yet because it will finish in the sauce later.

Transfer the chicken to a plate.

The first time I made this Churu Chicken Amarillo Recipe, I crowded the pan too much and the chicken barely browned. Cooking in batches works way better if your skillet is smaller.

Reduce the heat to medium.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the same skillet if needed.

Add the diced onion and cook for about 5 minutes until soft and lightly golden.

Stir occasionally so the onions don’t burn around the edges.

Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.

At this point the kitchen usually smells amazing already.

Stir in the amarillo pepper paste, cumin, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Cook for about 1 minute while stirring constantly.

The sauce base will turn bright yellow-orange and slightly thick.

Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Those little browned bits add a lot of flavor.

Carefully transfer the sauce mixture to a blender.

Blend until smooth.

The texture should look creamy and silky with no large onion pieces left.

If you prefer a chunkier sauce, you can skip blending, but I personally think the smooth version tastes more restaurant-style.

Pour the blended sauce back into the skillet over medium-low heat.

Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.

Let the sauce simmer gently for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened.

You’ll notice the color becomes richer and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

Add the lime juice at the end.

Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if needed.

Add the chicken thighs back into the skillet.

Spoon some sauce over the top.

Cover partially and simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.

The sauce should bubble gently, not boil hard.

I noticed the chicken stays way juicier when the heat stays lower during this step.

Serve the chicken over warm white rice.

Spoon extra amarillo sauce on top and garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

The rice really helps soak up all that creamy spicy sauce.