Earthy, smokey, and spicy, Mexican Adobo Chicken is an authentically Mexican dish that uses dried chilis to make a uniquely flavored sauce. This version uses the sauce to braise the chicken, but adobo can also be a marinade or a seasoning and there’s several ways to use or cook with adobo.
This version of adobo chicken utilizes the dried chilis Guajillo, Ancho, and Chipotle, together with seasonings like oregano, cinnamon, cumin, and cloves to give the dish its authentic Mexican flavors. The dried chilis in the sauce are what really differentiate the Mexican version of adobo from its Spanish roots and the popular Philippines dish.
What Is Adobo?
Adobo can be a confusing term at times. It comes from the Spanish word adobar which means to marinate or cure. Depending on the region, it can be a marinade, a sauce, a seasoning, or a cooking method.

Spanish Origin
The original Spanish adobar was a blend of salt, paprika, oregano, garlic, and vinegar that was used as a stock or marinade to preserve food while also flavoring it. It became widely adopted by most Spanish and Portuguese regions and colonies.
Mexican Adobo
Mexican adobo utilizes regional dried chilis and seasonings along with garlic and onion and vinegar to create a sauce or marinade. Chicken is probably the most popular choice of protein, but pork and beef can also be used. Once you make the adobo, you have lots of options on how to use it: you can braise meat in it like I do here, you can marinade a protein overnight and grill or bake it, or you can even shred the protein and toss it with adobo for things like tacos or enchiladas.
Philippine Adobo
Immensely popular in the Philippines, the Filipino adobo is sometimes considered their national dish, but it also barely resembles its Spanish and Mexican counterparts. When the Spanish Empire began colonizing the Philippines in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, they saw people marinating and preserving their food in almost the same way as their adobo method, so they referred to it as “adobo”. The name may have stuck, but the Filipino adobo is much different and uses vinegar and salt to preserve their meat. This version is typically marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Where the Mexican and Spanish adobo is earthy and spicy, the Philippine adobo is salty and sour.
Ingredients for Mexican Chicken Adobo
There’s a decent amount of ingredients that goes into making the sauce, but there’s also room for variation and optional items. I’ll point those out below.
Dried Chilis – I use a combination of guajillo, ancho, and chipotle for the sauce. The first two are the important ones, the chipotle used can be between 0-2 to vary the spiciness of the final dish. These can usually be found in most supermarkets either in the international aisle or by the produce if they have a small section for dried peppers and mushrooms, or online.
Seasonings – Here I use a combination of oregano, cumin, thyme, cinnamon, cloves, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. You could omit the bay leaves, pepper, and thyme and double the oregano as well.
Onion – One yellow or white onion works for this. If you blend it with everything else, you only need to roughly chop it up.
Garlic – You don’t have to use fresh seasonings above, but you should definitely use fresh garlic and not powder here. If adding to the blender, you only need to smash the cloves or chop roughly.
Tomato – You can use fresh Roma tomatoes here (about 3-4) and sauté them with the onion. I used about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste instead. This still gives the adobo some color and a pop of tomato flavor without an additional vegetable to purchase and chop up.
Chicken Broth – Some recipes simply use water, or use the water that you soak the dried chilis in. The soaking water can give the final adobo a bit of a harsher bitterness however and using chicken stock/broth tends to mellow the final sauce out as well as add some richness and flavor.
Vinegar – You only need about a ¼ cup, and I used white vinegar here. You can also use apple cider or even rice vinegar if you prefer.
Sugar – This is optional, but a tablespoon of brown sugar can add a little sweetness to the dish, and it helps to take the edge off the bitterness from the chilis.
Chicken – You can literally use any chicken you prefer here. Typically, chicken adobo is made with bone-in pieces and cooked until its tender enough that the meat comes off easily. You can also use boneless, skinless pieces like breasts and thighs, or a mix of dark and white meat. I used 4 leg quarters here and cut and trimmed them myself for 8 nicely sized portions.
How to Cook Mexican Adobo Chicken
Preheat your oven to 325°F / 165°C.
Start by stemming and seeding the chilis. Cut off the stem and make a slit down the side of the chili so that you can open it up. Tons of seeds will pour out and you can trim off the pith. Place the peppers on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 7-8 minutes. Once toasted, place them in a large bowl or heatproof mixing bowl and cover with hot water. Let them soak at least 10-15 minutes.
While the chilis are toasting, add the oil to a Dutch oven or stock pot on medium to medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides to taste. Once hot, brown the chicken on both sides, starting skin side down. Cook about 4 minutes on each side and set aside.
The chilis should be soaking by now, so add the onion to the hot Dutch oven after removing the chicken and cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Once softened, add the garlic, tomato paste, and seasonings (minus the bay leaves) and cook until fragrant, about a minute or so. Add about a ½ cup of chicken stock to keep things from burning and remove from the heat.
Add the softened chilis, the onion mix, the vinegar, salt and pepper, brown sugar, and the rest of the chicken stock to a blender and blend until smooth and looks like a thin paste.
Return the chicken to the Dutch oven and pour the chili mixture (adobo) over the chicken, add the bay leaves, and stir together. Bring the mixture to a boil and then place in the oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the chicken registers 160°F for white meat or 175°F for dark meat.
Remove the chicken and serve. Pour some extra sauce over the chicken or on the side and optionally garnish with some chopped, fresh cilantro.
How or What to Serve with Chicken Adobo
I enjoy this straight from the sauce and served over rice. Its even better as leftovers and roasted in the oven.
The rice I used in this recipe in the pictures is a quick garlic fried rice that pairs well with the adobo and can be made in 30 minutes while the chicken cooks.
You can also shred the chicken and add to quesadillas, tacos, burritos, etc.
The chicken can also be served whole with a side of roasted veggies or potatoes as a meal.
How to Store or Make Ahead
Once cooked, you can place cooled chicken adobo in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. You can reheat the chicken in the microwave or cook in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes or until heated through.
You can also freeze the chicken in an airtight container for about 2 months. Allow to though in the refrigerator overnight before rewarming. I would separate the chicken and the sauce though if freezing. The sauce should be good for about 6 months frozen separately.
You can also make just the sauce from the recipe and freeze that for up to 6 months and use it when you need it.
📋 Recipe
Mexican Adobo Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 guajillo chilis, stemmed and seeded
- 2 ancho chili, stemmed and seeded
- 1 chipotle chili, stemmed and seeded
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken, I used 4 chicken leg quarters
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
- 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F / 165°C.
- Start by stemming and seeding the chilis. Cut off the stem and make a slit down the side of the chili so that you can open it up. Tons of seeds will pour out and you can trim off the pith. Place the peppers on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 7-8 minutes. Once toasted, place them in a large bowl or heatproof mixing bowl and cover with hot water. Let them soak at least 10-15 minutes.
- While the chilis are toasting, add the oil to a Dutch oven or stock pot on medium to medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides to taste. Once hot, brown the chicken on both sides, starting skin side down. Cook about 4 minutes on each side and set aside.
- The chilis should be soaking by now, so add the onion to the hot Dutch oven after removing the chicken and cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Once softened, add the garlic, tomato paste, and seasonings (minus the bay leaves, salt, and pepper) and cook until fragrant, about a minute or so. Add about a ½ cup of chicken stock to keep things from burning and remove from the heat.
- Add the softened chilis, the onion mix, the vinegar, salt and pepper, brown sugar, and the rest of the chicken stock to a blender and blend until smooth and looks like a thin paste.
- Return the chicken to the Dutch oven and pour the chili mixture (adobo) over the chicken, add the bay leaves, and stir together. Bring the mixture to a boil and then place in the oven, uncovered, for 45 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the chicken registers 160° for white meat or 175° for dark meat.
- Remove the chicken and serve. Pour some extra sauce over the chicken or on the side and optionally garnish with some chopped, fresh cilantro.
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