Chicken in Adobo
By Alli BerkeyPublished on January 29, 2019
Time
1¾ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 ounce dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded½ ounce dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded1 ½ cups chicken broth ¼ cup cider vinegar 2 (3-inch) orange zest strips plus 2 tablespoons juice1 tablespoon packed brown sugar 1 ¾ teaspoons table salt, divided1 teaspoon pepper, divided3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (2 split breasts cut in half crosswise, 2 drumsticks, and 2 thighs), trimmed2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped fine5 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro Lime wedge
Before You Begin
One ounce of guajillo chiles is about eight chiles; ½ ounce of ancho chiles is approximately one chile. Remove the strips of orange zest with a vegetable peeler. You can use all white-meat or all dark-meat chicken pieces, if desired. Serve with rice or warm flour tortillas.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Place guajillos and anchos on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and guajillos are deep red and have curled edges, about 7 minutes. Immediately transfer chiles to bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand until pliable, about 5 minutes.
- Drain chiles and transfer to blender. Add broth, vinegar, orange juice, sugar, 1¼ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Set aside adobo.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.
- Add onion to now-empty pot and reduce heat to medium. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and orange zest and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in adobo until combined. Return chicken, skin side up, to pot along with any accumulated juices; bring to simmer. Transfer pot to oven and bake, uncovered, until chicken is tender and breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to platter. Stir sauce to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Time
1¾ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
1 ounce dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
½ ounce dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 ½ cups chicken broth
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 (3-inch) orange zest strips plus 2 tablespoons juice
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 ¾ teaspoons table salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper, divided
3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (2 split breasts cut in half crosswise, 2 drumsticks, and 2 thighs), trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedge
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 ounce dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
½ ounce dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 ½ cups chicken broth
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 (3-inch) orange zest strips plus 2 tablespoons juice
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 ¾ teaspoons table salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper, divided
3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (2 split breasts cut in half crosswise, 2 drumsticks, and 2 thighs), trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedge
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 ounce dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
½ ounce dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 ½ cups chicken broth
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 (3-inch) orange zest strips plus 2 tablespoons juice
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 ¾ teaspoons table salt, divided
1 teaspoon pepper, divided
3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (2 split breasts cut in half crosswise, 2 drumsticks, and 2 thighs), trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedge
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
The intense depth of flavor in this adobo comes from a balanced mixture of dried chiles. We combined guajillo and ancho chiles to create a complex and vibrant red sauce to coat tender pieces of chicken. Lightly toasting the chiles removed their bitterness; after toasting them, we soaked the chiles in water until they were softened and then blended them with vinegar and a bit of orange juice to enhance their sweetness. Once we brought the adobo to a simmer and stirred in the browned chicken pieces, we transferred the pot to the oven to braise. We finished the dish with a splash of lime to brighten things up. Warmed flour tortillas helped wipe up any extra sauce.
Before You Begin
One ounce of guajillo chiles is about eight chiles; ½ ounce of ancho chiles is approximately one chile. Remove the strips of orange zest with a vegetable peeler. You can use all white-meat or all dark-meat chicken pieces, if desired. Serve with rice or warm flour tortillas.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Place guajillos and anchos on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and guajillos are deep red and have curled edges, about 7 minutes. Immediately transfer chiles to bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand until pliable, about 5 minutes.
- Drain chiles and transfer to blender. Add broth, vinegar, orange juice, sugar, 1¼ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Set aside adobo.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.
- Add onion to now-empty pot and reduce heat to medium. Cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and orange zest and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in adobo until combined. Return chicken, skin side up, to pot along with any accumulated juices; bring to simmer. Transfer pot to oven and bake, uncovered, until chicken is tender and breasts register 160 degrees and drumsticks/thighs register 175 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to platter. Stir sauce to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
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