Description
Mexican Chicken Adobo aka Adobo de Pollo, features tender chicken thighs and chicken legs braised in a rich and deeply flavored adobo sauce made with dried chiles and spices. Enjoy the traditional Mexican flavors of this savory, spicy and robust chicken recipe for dinner any day of the week.
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in chicken legs
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs, skinless (or skin-on if preferred)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Sauce:
- 1 small brown or yellow onion, sliced
- 4 Roma tomatoes, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 1 dried ancho chile or dried chipotle chile, stems and seeds removed
- 2 dried pasilla or New Mexico chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt or Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- Chopped cilantro for garnish
- To serve (optional):
- White rice
- Spanish rice
- Corn or flour tortillas
- Avocado slices
Instructions
1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Set aside while you make the sauce.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and tomatoes and sauté, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes or until the onions start to become translucent.
3. Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute. Stir in the dried chiles and the broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and with a spoon, push the dried chiles down to make sure they are completely submerged in the broth. Cover the pot and simmer for about 10 minutes so the chiles soften.
4. Remove from the heat, uncover the pot and allow to cool at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Transfer the chiles and about half of their liquid to a blender. Add the apple cider vinegar, salt, cumin, coriander and ground cloves and blend at high speed for about 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Add the remaining cooking liquid and continue to blend until the sauce becomes smooth. Set aside.
5. Place the same Dutch oven or pot on the stove over medium-high heat and let the pot dry up a bit before adding the oil.
6. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
7. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown for about 2-3 minutes per side. Work in batches if needed. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate if necessary.
8. Return all the chicken to the pot and add the sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, partially cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add broth if needed.
9. Remove the bay leaves, season to taste and serve.
10. (Alternative Oven Method) Preheat the oven to 350°F. After browning the chicken, stir in the sauce and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165°F internally. Remove, stir, season to taste, and serve.
Notes
To make this recipe, you can use bone-in chicken pieces. Dark meat like drumsticks and thighs stay juicy when simmered or stewed. If using bone-in chicken breast, keep the skin on and leave the halves whole to prevent drying.
This adobo sauce uses dried chile peppers—not ground chili or chili powder.
You may use a mix of different dried chiles, but don’t skip the guajillo peppers—they give the dish its distinct flavor. A combo of dried guajillo and pasilla chiles is excellent!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Main Course
- Method: Braising, Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken piece with sauce
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 700mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 20g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 40g
- Cholesterol: 130mg