Adobo is a beloved chili sauce in Mexico, mainly used to cook pork. There are endless ways to make this sauce, and each family has its own recipe. This recipe here is my own twist to roast a juicy, tender, and flavorful chicken. It made my mother very proud, and I'm sure that making this chicken will make yours proud too!
🥣 Cooking Time: 2hrs or less (+8hrs marinating time)
🍲 Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
1 Whole fresh chicken (4-6 lbs) 3 seedless ancho chiles 2 seedless guajillo chiles 2 seedless puya chiles (spicy guajillo) 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (preferably La Costeña brand) ¼ teaspoon of whole peppercorns ½ teaspoon of whole cumin 2 whole cloves 1 small cinnamon stick 2 garlic cloves ¼ piece of a large onion 1½ tablespoons of salt ½ cup of fresh orange juice ½ cup of hot water ¼ cup of avocado or olive oil 4 large carrots 6 large celery sticks 1 piece of aluminum foil (big enough to cover the breast area of the chicken)
Directions
1. On a comal or good nonstick pan, roast the garlic, peppercorns, cloves, and onion. Make sure your comal (or pan) is nice and hot, and stays on medium low to roast the spices without burning them. Roast the cinnamon, and cumin seeds last, as they will take the least amount of time.
2. Once all spices are roasted, proceed to roast all dried chiles the same way. You’ll notice how the peppers, although dried, will start soften and become more fragrant.
3. Place the roasted peppers and spices in a blender with the orange juice, hot water, chipotle peppers, salt and oil. Blend everything until you have a smooth, thick sauce.
4. Use a strainer to strain the sauce, removing any grainy pieces, and set aside. This will be the adobo sauce.
5. Clean your chicken, and trim off any extra fat. Pat dry with paper towel, and then marinate with the adobo. Make sure to rub the inside of the chicken with adobo; carefully slip your fingers under the breast skin and rub a generous amount UNDER the skin. Flip the chicken on its side and add more of adobo on the thigh, wing and leg. Repeat on other side.
6. Place the chicken in a large container, and cover with plastic. Let the chicken marinate for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight.
7. 1 hour before cooking, remove your chicken from the fridge and preheat your oven to 375F.
8. Clean, and cut the carrots and celery in large chunks.
9. In a large baking dish, or a roasting pan, scatter the chunks of carrots and celery. This will be the base to roast the chicken.
10. Place the chicken on top of the veggies, brush with extra avocado oil, and sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste.
11. Roast your chicken at 375 for 30 minutes, then cover the top of your chicken with the aluminum foil, and lower the temperature to 350 for approx. 1 hour and 30 minutes (keep in mind this will depend on the size of your chicken). The best way to know your chicken is done is using an instant-read thermometer. This needs to be inserted into the breast, and the thigh. The breast temperature should read 180 degrees and the thigh 190 degrees.
12. Once cooked, allow your chicken to rest for 30 minutes before carving. Serve with any of your favorite side dishes. As a good, proud Mexican girl I like to enjoy mine with rice and refried, black beans. Enjoy!
Notes
As I mentioned in the recipe, the cooking time of your chicken will depend on the size of the bird. This is why having an instant-read thermometer comes in handy to make sure the chicken is fully cooked.
If you don’t have a thermometer, there are other ways to check if your chicken is done. One way is tipping the chicken and observe the juices running out of its cavity. If they're clear, the chicken is likely done. If the juices come out pink, then it means it's not ready yet. You can also check the color of the meat after cutting into the thickest part of the chicken. If the meat is tender without no sign of pink, and no rubbery feeling to it, your chicken is done.
If you enjoya delicious, crispy skin on your chicken (the best part!), remove the aluminum foil once the chicken is close to done. Raise the temperature to 400F, and allow the chicken to cook for another 5-7 minutes. 🍗🍗🍗🍗
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