Chicken pieces braised in a thick, richly spiced dried chilli sauce.
About this recipe
Pollo en adobo is a traditional Mexican stew where chicken pieces are slowly cooked in a thick, luscious sauce made from dried chillies, vinegar, spices and herbs. The Mexican adobo is a flavouring and preserving technique inherited from the colonial era, resulting in a deeply savoury, mildly spicy dish.
History & Origin
Adobo is a culinary technique that arrived in Mexico from Spain during the Conquest, but indigenous cooks transformed it by incorporating local dried chillies, creating something entirely new. Mexican adobo is radically different from its Spanish counterpart: it uses guajillo and ancho chillies as a base, along with spices such as cumin, oregano, and cloves. This preparation originally served to preserve meat in hot climates before the advent of refrigeration. Each region of Mexico has its own version of adobo, the most famous being the one made with chipotle chillies in adobo sauce.
Estimated cost
£17.54
Total cost
£2.92
Per serving
* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets
Nutritional information per serving
480
Calories
25g
Protein
37g
Carbohydrates
22g
Fat
7g
Fibre
815mg
Sodium
* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.
Method
- 1
Desvena y quita the semillas de the chillies. Tuéstalos brevemente en un comal (griddle) seco y remójalos en water hot 15 minutes.
- 2
Blend the soaked chillies with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, cumin and oregano. Strain the salsa.
- 3
Sazona the pieces de chicken with salt. Dóralas en a saucepan with oil for ambos lados (5 minutes). Retira y reserva.
- 4
En la same saucepan, vierte la salsa de adobo y cuisine over medium heat 10 minutes, moviendo ocasionalmente.
- 5
Return the chicken to the saucepan, making sure it is covered by the salsa. Cover and cook over low heat for 25-30 minutes.
💡 The adobo improves the next day; prepare it in advance if you can.
- 6
Sirve with white rice y corn tortillas calientes.
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Founder, Recetas Mexas
Mexican from Puebla, IT professional and foodie. Author of 736+ authentic Mexican recipes adapted for European kitchens. Based in Madrid since 2018.
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