Name: Pollo Adobado (Chicken in Red Adobo)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 500 g Chicken, bone-in pieces preferred; 2 Dried Guajillo Chiles, stemmed and seeded; 1 Dried Ancho Chiles, stemmed and seeded; 200 g Tomato, roughly chopped; ½ Onion, roughly chopped; 3 clove Garlic, peeled; 1½ tbsp Vinegar, for the adobo; ½ tsp Ground Cumin, for seasoning; ½ tsp Dried Oregano, crumbled; 2 Cloves, whole; 1 inch Cinnamon Sticks, small piece; 1 Bay Laurel Leaf, whole; 1½ tbsp Neutral Oil, for searing; 1 tsp Salt, adjust to taste; ¼ tsp Black Peppercorns, freshly ground; 1 cup Water, for blending and simmering

55 mintotal

Prep 20 min · Cook 35 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium

Add to your week

Method

Toast the dried chiles briefly on a dry pan until fragrant, then soak them in hot water until soft.
Blend the softened chiles with tomato, onion, garlic, vinegar, cumin, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, and some of the measured water.
Season the chicken with salt and black pepper, then sear it in the measured oil until lightly browned.
Pour the adobo sauce over the chicken, add the bay leaf and remaining water, then bring to a gentle simmer.
Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and the sauce is deep red, glossy, and coating the pieces well.
Remove the bay leaf before serving and adjust salt if needed.

How to tell it's done

The chicken should be tender and the sauce should be thick enough to coat the spoon without becoming dry.

Getting it right

Tip

Strain the blended adobo if you want a smoother sauce, especially when the chile skins are thick.

What to serve it with

Serve with Mexican red rice, warm tortillas, or simple beans.

Common mistakes

The adobo is bitter.: Toast the chillies for seconds only, until they smell warm, and take out the seeds and stems. Guajillo and ancho scorch almost instantly on a hot pan, and burnt chilli makes a sauce nothing else will save.
The sauce is thin and tastes raw.: Fry the blended adobo in the pan before the liquid goes in, until it darkens and thickens. Blended chilli poured straight into stock keeps a flat, papery taste however long it simmers.

Substitutions

Dried Guajillo Chiles — Guajillo gives the adobo its classic red color and mild fruity flavor; avoid replacing it with only hot chiles.

Storing and reheating

Keeps four days in the fridge and is better the next day. Freezes for three months. The adobo paste alone keeps two weeks refrigerated under a film of oil, which turns this into a weeknight dish.

Pescado a la Veracruzana (Fish Veracruz Style)

A Veracruz coastal classic with white fish simmered in a tomato, olive, caper, garlic, and herb sauce.

40 minpescatarian

Red Pork Pozole

A red Mexican pork and hominy soup with guajillo chile broth, served with crisp cabbage, radish, coriander, and lime-style lemon.

2 hrnon vegetarian

Sopa de Albóndigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)

A comforting Mexican tomato-broth soup with tender beef meatballs, potatoes, carrots, and fresh herbs.

55 minnon vegetarian

Beef Birria

A Jalisco-style Mexican beef birria with slow-cooked beef in a deep guajillo, ancho, pasilla, tomato, and spice broth.

2 hr 40 minnon vegetarian

Caldo de Res (Mexican Beef Soup)

A Mexican home-style beef and vegetable soup with tender beef, potato, carrot, corn, cabbage, zucchini, coriander, and lime-style lemon.

2 hrnon vegetarian

Camarones a la Diabla (Deviled Shrimp)

Mexican-style shrimp cooked in a bold red chile diabla sauce with tomato, garlic, guajillo, and árbol chiles.

35 minpescatarian

Ingredients