Chicken Adobo Recipe

Ingredients

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Adobo Sauce Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons Spanish hot paprika
• 2 tablespoons Spanish sweet paprika
• 1 minced fresh hot chile pepper, stem and seeds removed, or 1 tablespoon red chile flakes
• 3 tablespoons Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 5 tablespoons white or red-wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup chicken stock, or more as needed
• Salt to taste
• Sugar to taste

Chicken Ingredients

• 2 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken parts
• Salt and pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons neutral oil like canola or vegetable

Instructions

Adobo Sauce Instructions

1. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil until shimmering but not smoking. Add minced garlic and sauté until translucent, about one minute.
2. Add hot and sweet paprikas, minced hot chile pepper or chile flakes, oregano, peppercorns, cloves, thyme, cumin, vinegar, and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer five minutes.
3. Carefully taste the sauce and add salt and sugar to taste, as necessary. If the sauce is too thick, add additional chicken stock.

Chicken Instructions

1. Wash chicken pieces and pat dry with a paper towel. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil until simmering but not smoking. Carefully add chicken pieces in batches, adding more oil as necessary, and fry five minutes per side until lightly browned.
3. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil and set aside.

Finishing the Dish

1. Increase the heat on the adobo sauce in the Dutch oven to high and add reserved chicken pieces, submerging them in the sauce. Bring the mixture back to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Uncover and spoon sauce over chicken pieces to glaze them. Cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Breast and wing pieces will be done before the dark meat, so you can remove them until the dark meat is cooked. Return the white meat to the sauce to reheat before plating.
3. Serve with Mexican rice, if desired, and a green salad.