Our Mexican Chicken Adobo (aka Adobo de Pollo), is a warm and flavorful way to spice up your chicken dinners. Made with tender chicken thighs marinated in a rich and deeply flavored adobo sauce made with dried chiles and spices.
Chicken adobo is definitley one of my favorite comfort foods. Made with dried chili peppers that are bursting with flavor without all the heat some chiles have, make this traditional Mexican dish one your friends and family will ask for time and time again.
The zesty, tangy, smoky adobo sauce takes chicken to a whole new level of deliciousness, and It may even become your new favorite chicken recipe.
For our recipe, you’ll need to plan ahead to allow the chicken to marinate. You’ll need at least 20 minutes, but we recommend marinating overnight and cooking the next day.
This will seal in the delicious flavors and also allow the chicken to become tender, so you’ll have moist, juicy chicken with every bite.
Ingredients to Make Chicken Adobo
Start by gathering the ingredients needed to make our Chicken Adobo recipe. In culinary terms, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into “Everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also helps ensure you have all of the ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
We made our recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can use chicken breasts, or chicken pieces if you prefer.
You can use store bought adobo to make our recipe, but if you want Chicken Adobo that’s bursting with flavor, it’s best to make your own sauce. Use our recipe to make The Best Adobo Sauce you ever tasted!
How to Make Chicken Adobo
- Remove the chicken from its wrapper and pat the skin dry on all sides with paper towels.
- Add the chicken thighs to a Ziplock bag or large bowl.
- Add one cup of the adobo sauce to the bag, massaging it into the chicken. Refrigerate for at least two hours (overnight is best) to marinate.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. Then, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, discard any excess liquid, and pat dry with paper towels.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a cast iron pan (or skillet) over medium-high heat. Then, place the chicken skin side down into the hot pan.
*you can use any oven-safe pan for this recipe; we prefer a cast iron pan to give the chicken a nice char. - Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip over to the other side and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and pour half a cup of the remaining adobo sauce over top of the chicken thighs, brushing them with the sauce.
- Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the adobo chicken rest for 10 minutes. This will allow time for the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.
Wouldn’t you love to sit down to a plateful of this deliciously earthy Mexican Chicken Adobo? I promise after one bite, you’ll agree this recipe is a keeper!
Store leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container or well-wrapped with plastic wrap for 2-3 days. They can also be stored in a freezer-safe container for up to two months.
Recipe FAQ’s
Adobo sauce, is made with dry chiles, tomatoes, vinegar and various spices to create a smoky, earthy, slightly sweet, medium hot flavor profile that tastes great on any protein.
Adobo has become the term used for meats marinated with this sauce, or similar sauces, and is a mainstay of Mexican cuisine.
No, it is not. And other than the fact that they are both made with chicken, they couldn’t be more different. The Mexican version uses dried chilies and spices to make the sauce. While the Filipino version is made with soy sauce, white vinegar and garlic, brown sugar, and seasonings.
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Chicken Adobo Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs boneless skinless – or chicken pieces of your choice.
- 2 cups adobo sauce store bought or use our adobo sauce recipe
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from its wrapper and pat the skin dry on all sides with paper towels.
- Add the chicken thighs to a Ziplock bag or large bowl.
- Add one cup of the adobo sauce to the bag , massaging it into the chicken.
- Refrigerate for at least two hours (overnight is best) to marinate.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking to allow it to start to come to room temperature.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, discard any excess liquid, and pat dry with paper towels.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a cast iron pan (or skillet) over medium-high heat.
- *you can use any oven-safe pan for this recipe, we prefer a cast iron pan to give the chicken a nice char.
- Place the chicken skin side down into the hot pan.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes and then flip over to the other side to cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and pour half a cup of the remaining adobo sauce over top of the chicken thighs, brushing them with the sauce.
- Place the pan on the center rack of the preheated oven, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Serve with your favorite sides and the remaining adobo sauce for dipping
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