Pollo a la Parrilla con Adobo de Chipotle

Chicken is the most popular protein in Mexico today, but it was not always this way. Pre-Columbian Meso-American cuisines featured birds such as turkey or duck, but chicken was not introduced until the arrival of the Spanish in the Americas [1]. There are many flavors of grilled chicken in Mexico, with dozens of different marinades. Today we will prepare chicken with a simple marinade built on chipotle and ancho chilies [2], garlic, onions, and limes.

Chipotle lime chicken is a great filling for tacos, gorditas, or quesadillas, or it can be served with rice, beans, and salsas as a plate. Cooked, chopped, and sealed in an airtight bag, this chicken also freezes well!

Ingredients

4 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 red onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp ancho chili powder
3 tbsp chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

We will start by preparing the marinade for the chicken. In a blender, combine the quartered onion, garlic, chipotles in adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, vegetable oil, lime juice, and about ¼ cup water. Blend until smooth, pulsing the blender if necessary to break up the onions and garlic. Stir in the ancho chili powder, salt, and ground black pepper into the marinade.

If the chicken thighs you are using are less than ½ an inch thick, you can use them as is. However, if the chicken pieces are thicker than this, we run the risk of the thighs cooking up unevenly. In this case, scoring the meat will allow both the heat and the marinade to penetrate more deeply.

Place the chicken thighs in a plastic zipper bag, and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag, doing your best to press all of the air out of the bag. Massage the meat in the bag to thoroughly coat all of the pieces of chicken, then let marinate in the refrigerator at least overnight, and for up to two days. I like to place the plastic bag in some kind of secondary containment such as a baking dish to catch any potential leaks.

To Cook

The marinated chicken can be cooked on the grill, in a pan, or in the oven. Doing it in the oven is the most convenient, while grilling or pan-searing will impart a distinct charred and smoky flavor. If you’re grilling, preheat the grill to a high heat (gas on high, or building a hot fire with charcoal).

Remove as much marinade from the chicken as possible, either by brushing it off or dabbing it with a paper towel. Oil the grates to prevent the chicken from sticking, then lay the chicken onto the grill. Cook for about 6 minutes per side, flipping once, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 °F and is fully cooked.

If you’re cooking on the stovetop, place a cast iron skillet over high heat, and add about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, or just enough to coat the surface of the pan. When the skillet is hot, add the chicken to the pan in a single layer. Cook the chicken for about 6 minutes per side, flipping once, or until the chicken is fully cooked. If you’re baking the chicken, preheat your oven to 425 °F. Place the chicken pieces in a single layer on a foil-lined baking tray, and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Then broil it for about 5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is just charred.

Regardless of your cooking method of choice, let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting and serving!

Substitutions

If you cannot source ancho chili powder, you can use dried ancho or guajillo chilies instead. The 2 tbsp of chili powder called for is roughly equivalent to 1 oz of dried ancho chilies. Soak the chilies in warm water to soften them before adding them to the marinade. If you like your chicken spicier, feel free to add additional chili powder or cayenne pepper to the marinade.

If you are serving more people, this recipe can easily be scaled up by a factor of 2 or 3. This marinade also works well for chicken drumsticks or pork. However, I do not recommend this preparing this dish with chicken breast, which is very lean and tends to cook up dry under high heat.

[1] Turkey was native to the Americas, but chicken was domesticated in Southeast Asia and was introduced to the Americas from the Old World.

[2] In Mexican cuisine, many varieties of chilies have two names—one used when the chili is fresh and another used when the chili is dried. Ancho chilies are dried poblanos, and chipotle chilies are smoked and dried jalapeños. The word chipotle is derived from the Aztec word “chīlpoctli,” which translates to “smoked chili.”

Recipe

Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 15 min Total Time: 25 min
(+1 day inactive) (30 min baked) (1 day)

Difficulty: 1/5

Heat Sources: grill, oven, or burner

Equipment: blender

Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 red onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp ancho chili powder
3 tbsp chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp dried oregano
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine the onion, garlic, chipotles in adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, vegetable oil, lime juice, and ¼ cup water in the blender. Blend until smooth.

2. Stir the ancho chili powder, salt, and pepper into the marinade.

3. If the chicken thighs you are using are thicker than ½ inch, score the chicken to help the marinade penetrate the meat. Place the chicken thighs in a plastic zipper bag, and pour over the marinade. Seal the bag, massage the meat to coat all of the pieces, and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

To Cook (Grilled)

1. Preheat the grill to a high heat, and oil the grates. Remove as much marinade from the chicken as possible, either by brushing it off or dabbing it with a paper towel.

2. Cook the chicken for about 6 min per side, flipping once, until the chicken is fully cooked (internal temperature of 165 °F).

3. Remove the chicken from the grill and let rest for 5 min before slicing.

To Cook (Pan-seared)

1. Place a cast iron skillet over high heat. Add about 1 tbsp of vegetable oil to the skillet, swirling to uniformly coat the skillet. Remove as much marinade from the chicken as possible, either by brushing it off or dabbing it with a paper towel.

2. When the skillet is hot, add the chicken to the pan in a single layer. Cook the chicken for about 6 min per side, flipping once, until the chicken is fully cooked.

3. Remove the chicken from the skillet and let rest for 5 min before slicing.

To Cook (Baked)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 °F. Place the chicken in one layer on a foil-lined baking tray.

2. Bake the chicken for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.

3. Broil the chicken for about 5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is just charred.

4. Remove the tray from the oven and let the chicken rest for 5 min before slicing.