10 Different Ways to Cook Chicken the Mexican Way

Chicken: Mexico's Most Versatile Protein

If chicken is your go-to weeknight protein (and for most British households, it is), then Mexican cuisine has a gift for you: at least ten completely distinct ways to prepare it, each with its own flavour profile, technique and regional identity. Where British cooking tends to treat chicken as a blank canvas - season it, roast it, serve it - Mexican cooking treats chicken as a partner in a conversation with chillies, spices, herbs and sauces that transforms it into something genuinely exciting.

1. Pollo en Mole Poblano

The king of Mexican chicken dishes. Chicken pieces simmered in mole poblano - a complex sauce of dried chillies (ancho, mulato, pasilla), chocolate, sesame seeds, almonds, raisins, tomatoes, onion, garlic and a dozen spices. Making mole from scratch is a project (allow 3-4 hours), but shop-bought mole paste (available at Mexican shops) dissolved in chicken stock produces excellent results in 30 minutes.

Quick method: Poach chicken thighs for 25 minutes. Dissolve 200g mole paste in 500ml of the poaching liquid. Simmer the chicken in the sauce for 15 minutes. Serve with rice, garnished with sesame seeds.

2. Pollo Tinga (Chipotle Chicken)

Shredded chicken in a smoky tomato-chipotle sauce. One of Mexico's most beloved preparations and one of the easiest to make. Poach and shred 500g chicken breasts. Saute sliced onion, add tinned tomatoes, 2-3 chipotle chillies in adobo (available at Tesco, Sainsbury's), and oregano. Simmer until thick, add the chicken. Done in 30 minutes.

Tinga is the ultimate meal-prep recipe: make a large batch on Sunday and eat it in tacos on Monday, on tostadas on Tuesday, in a burrito on Wednesday, and over rice on Thursday.

3. Pollo a la Plancha (Grilled Lime Chicken)

Butterflied chicken breasts marinated in lime juice, garlic, cumin, oregano and olive oil, then grilled on a screaming-hot griddle pan until charred. The lime creates a tangy crust, the cumin adds warmth, and the char from the grill adds smokiness. Serve sliced, with warm tortillas, guacamole and salsa.

4. Pollo en Mole Verde

A sauce of tomatillos, green chillies, pumpkin seeds, coriander, lettuce, radish tops and herbs, blended and simmered with chicken. Mole verde is lighter, brighter and fresher than its dark cousin mole poblano - vegetal, herby, with a gentle heat from the serranos and a silky richness from the pumpkin seeds.

UK adaptation: Tomatillos are available tinned from Mexican shops. Use green chillies from the supermarket. The pumpkin seeds are the key - they give the sauce its distinctive body and nutty flavour.

5. Pollo en Adobo

Chicken braised in a thick, brick-red sauce of rehydrated dried chillies (guajillo and ancho), garlic, vinegar, oregano and cumin. Soak 6 guajillo and 3 ancho chillies in hot water for 20 minutes. Blend with garlic, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, cumin and oregano. Fry the sauce in oil for 5 minutes, add chicken pieces and enough stock to cover. Braise for 40 minutes.

6. Pollo Pibil (Yucatan-Style)

The chicken version of cochinita pibil. Chicken marinated overnight in achiote paste (recado rojo), bitter orange juice (substitute equal parts lime and orange juice), garlic and salt. Wrapped in banana leaves (available frozen at Asian supermarkets) and slow-roasted at 150C for 2.5 hours until falling-apart tender.

7. Caldo de Pollo (Mexican Chicken Soup)

Mexico's answer to Jewish penicillin. A whole chicken simmered with onion, garlic, carrots, courgettes, chayote (or potato), corn on the cob (cut into rounds), and herbs. The broth is clear, golden and deeply savoury. Served with rice, lime wedges, fresh coriander and sliced serrano chilli. This is the soup that Mexican mothers make when someone is ill.

8. Enchiladas Suizas (Swiss-Style Enchiladas)

Shredded chicken rolled in corn tortillas, covered in a creamy tomatillo sauce, topped with grated cheese and baked until bubbling. "Suizas" (Swiss) refers to the dairy - the sauce is enriched with cream, giving it a luxurious, velvety quality. This is comfort food at its finest and one of the best ways to use leftover roast chicken.

9. Pollo en Pipian Rojo

A pre-Hispanic sauce made from toasted pumpkin seeds, dried chillies, sesame seeds, peanuts and tomatoes - blended until smooth and simmered with chicken. Pipian is one of Mexico's oldest sauces, predating the arrival of the Spanish. Its flavour is nutty, earthy, mildly spicy and deeply satisfying.

10. Fajitas de Pollo (The Real Version)

Forget the Old El Paso kit. Real chicken fajitas involve marinating sliced chicken thighs in lime juice, garlic, cumin and smoked paprika, then searing them in a blazing-hot cast-iron pan with sliced peppers and onions until everything is charred and sizzling. Serve immediately on warm tortillas with guacamole, salsa and a squeeze of lime.

The key to great fajitas is heat - the pan must be scorching. The chicken and vegetables should sizzle violently when they hit the pan.

Stocking Your Mexican Chicken Pantry

To make all ten recipes, you need surprisingly few specialist ingredients:

• Chipotle chillies in adobo: Available at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose.
• Dried guajillo and ancho chillies: From Mexican shops or online.
• Mole paste: From Mexican shops.
• Achiote paste (recado rojo): From Mexican shops.
• Masa harina: For fresh tortillas.
• Tinned tomatillos: From Mexican shops.
• Pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds: Any supermarket.
• Cumin, oregano, smoked paprika: Any supermarket.
• Limes: Any supermarket (buy in bulk - you will use a lot).

For detailed recipes and step-by-step instructions, explore our recipe collection.