The Best Mexican Chicken Adobo Recipe for Street Tacos
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Our Mexican Chicken Adobo Recipe is packed with flavor, bringing the vibrant, authentic taste of Mexican cooking right to your kitchen!
This recipe is perfect for creating mouth-watering chicken adobo tacos with its rich marinade and tender chicken pieces. Whether hosting a taco night or looking for a new family favorite, this dish will quickly become a staple in your home!
While you may prefer to skip to the recipe card, we recommend reading through the blog post to avoid missing valuable tips and substitution suggestions and to ensure you have the necessary ingredients, equipment, and understanding of the steps and timings.
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Mexican Adobo Chicken Recipe
Our Mexican Adobo Chicken is simple to make—chopped chicken is marinated in a delicious sauce made with onion, garlic, lime, orange juice, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, achiote paste, and chili peppers in adobo sauce.
Don’t panic if you haven’t heard of some ingredients before! They can be found online, or your grocery store may have them in the Latin America or World Foods aisle.
Our recipe is a twist on Mexican adobo de pollo, a rich chicken stew made with boneless skinless chicken thighs and a range of dried chilies, including chipotle chiles and guajillo chiles.
Instead of a larger cut of chicken, we used small pieces to serve on our Street Taco Charcuterie Board (coming soon) and make yummy adobo chicken tacos.
Our three main dishes on this sharing board—Al Pastor Pork and Taco Carne Asada—use some of the same ingredients, so they’re ideal to make simultaneously.
Even if you don’t make them for a sharing board, they work great for Taco Tuesday! Serve them with corn or flour tortillas and toppings like sour cream, Pico de Gallo, sliced avocado, and jalapeno pepper slices.
For more Mexican flavors to add to your rotation, this quick Chicken and Black Bean Burrito Skillet is made in one pan and great for weeknights, while this authentic Mexican Chile Verde needs a longer time and is perfect for the weekend.
Check out the 70+ Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes we have for you to enjoy!
What Is Adobo?
The term “adobo” comes from the Spanish word “adobar,” which means “to marinate.” Spanish conquistadors took it around the world. As such, adobo is a stew, a spice blend, and a marinade—and it will all depend on your geolocation!
As a stew, it has its roots in Filipino cuisine and is made with chicken or pork and flavorings like soy sauce, bay leaves, and vinegar.
In the Caribbean, the spice blend is a mixture of paprika, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and turmeric.
And in Mexican cuisine, the wet marinade includes a variety of chilies.
You might also like to try our Adobo de Cerdo recipe, which hails from the Spanish island of Tenerife.
How Do I Make Mexican Chicken Adobo?
For the printable recipe card, scroll to the bottom of this post. For all the tips, keep reading!
Number of Servings: 8-10
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 25 mins | Marinating Time: 6 hrs
Total Time: 6 hrs 35 mins
Step 1 – Gather Your Ingredients
The ingredients and tools for this recipe are conveniently linked to online retailers, including Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Walmart. The quantities are in the recipe card.
- Fresh Produce—White Onion, Limes, Garlic CLoves
- Protein—Chicken Tenders, known as Chicken Breast Mini Fillets in the UK. Alternatively, use boneless skinless chicken breasts.
- Orange Juice
- Achiote Paste is made from ground annatto seeds and spices such as oregano, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, and garlic. It is a vibrant, earthy seasoning used in Mexican and Central American cuisine to marinate meats and flavor various dishes such as cochinita pibil and tacos al pastor. It is also known as recado rojo.
- Smoked Paprika
- Ground Cumin
- Mexican Oregano is surprisingly not the same as Mediterranean oregano as they are from different plants. The Mexican variety adds flavor notes to dishes, notably floral, citrus, and anise. If you can’t source Mexican oregano, you could use Marjoram instead. You can read more about the difference here.
- Chili Powder—use mild or hot depending on your tastes and spicy heat preference.
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce are smoked, dried jalapeños packed in a rich, tangy sauce made from tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, and spices. They offer a complex, smoky, spicy flavor that enhances marinades, sauces, soups, and stews.
This ingredient is a staple in Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking, adding depth and heat to various dishes. You can find them in the international or Mexican section of the grocery store or online.
The complete list of ingredients with measurements is on the recipe card at the end of this post.
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Step 2 – Kitchen Tools
- Blender or Food Processor
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping/Cutting Board
- Mixing Bowls
- Cooking Utensils
- Plastic Wrap
- Baking Sheet
- Aluminum Foil
The complete ingredient list, along with their measurements, is provided on the recipe card. The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide measurements in US customary, imperial, and metric units. Still, it’s essential to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial units (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric units (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).
Next Steps…
- Step 3—Make Marinade: Place the marinade ingredients into a large blender or food processor. Blend on high speed until the mixture resembles a thick paste.
- Step 4—Prepare Chicken: Cut the chicken tenders into small, bite-size pieces. Place chicken into a large mixing bowl.
- Step 5—Marinade Chicken: Pour the marinade over the prepared chicken and toss to combine. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate the sauce-covered chicken for 6 hours or overnight for up to 24 hours. Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge 30-60 minutes before cooking.
- Step 6—Prep: When you are ready to cook, preheat oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6. Line a baking sheet pan with aluminum foil and set it aside.
- Step 7—Cook Chicken: Spread the marinated chicken over the prepared baking pan and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Step 8—Char Chicken: Heat your broiler (grill) to high. Place the chicken under the broiler (grill) for 4-5 minutes to char the edges. Toss as required.
- Step 9—Serve: Serve the chicken adobo with soft tortillas or taco shells and your choice of taco toppings.
Storing Leftovers & Freezing
- Storing Leftovers:
- Cool (within 1-2 hours), transfer to an airtight container, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezing Instructions:
- Cool the cooked chicken completely and wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil (or an airtight, freezer-safe container) to help prevent freezer burn and eliminate unwanted freezer smells.
- Label with the dish’s name, thawing/reheating instructions, and the date to keep track of your food storage.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To defrost the adobo chicken, unwrap it completely and place it in the fridge to thaw overnight (or at least 12 hours).
- Reheat gently in a large skillet over medium heat to retain the moisture. Ensure the chicken is piping hot throughout.
- With all leftovers, ensure the food looks and smells okay before consuming.
- Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart for Cooking
- You can always consult the Food Standards Agency in your country for the most up-to-date advice on storing and freezing foods: Food Standards Agency (UK) | Food Safety (USA).
Printable Mexican Adobo Chicken Recipe Card
The printable recipe card is below. Please leave a star rating and quick review to share your experience with others!
Mexican Adobo Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chicken tenders
For the Marinade:
- 1 onion finely diced
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp garlic minced
- 1 oz achiote paste
- ½ Tbsp smoked paprika
- ½ Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp Mexican oregano
- ½ Tbsp chili powder
- 2 Tbsp Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
Instructions
- Place the marinade ingredients into a large blender or food processor. Blend on high speed until the mixture resembles a thick paste.
- Cut the chicken tenders into small, bite-size pieces and place them into a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the marinade over the prepared chicken and toss to combine. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate the sauce-covered chicken for 6 hours or overnight for up to 24 hours. Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge 30-60 minutes before cooking.
- When you are ready to cook, preheat oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6. Line a baking sheet pan with aluminum foil and set it aside.
- Spread the marinated chicken over the prepared baking pan and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Heat your broiler (grill) to high. Place the chicken under the broiler (grill) for 4-5 minutes to char the edges. Toss as required.
- Serve the chicken adobo with soft tortillas or taco shells and your choice of taco toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
Alternative Ways to Make This Dish
- Marinate boneless skinless chicken thighs and/or breasts as in the recipe card, then cook in a slow cooker on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Pull the cooked meat with two forks, and serve the shredded chicken with white rice, Refried Beans.
- Pour the Mexican adobo sauce over a whole chicken and roast it in the oven (the time and temperature will depend on the size of your chicken; check the packaging). Serve with Mexican Rice and a simple green salad.
- If you know how to spatchcock a chicken, marinate it as in the recipe card and cook it over a charcoal grill—perfect for barbecue season! Ensure the chicken is cooked throughout before serving. The juices should run clear or check with a meat thermometer.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Dinner Party Menu Suggestions
You’ve made the main dish, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a dinner party or special meal:
This recipe features in Twinkl’s Picnic in the Park blog.
Gel
June 7, 2024 @ 2:24 am
That hit the spot perfectly! Definitely going in my recipe rotation!
Sharon
June 7, 2024 @ 1:45 am
This was such a delicious and flavorful dish. I definitely will be making it again!
Kristin
June 6, 2024 @ 11:36 pm
This chicken turned out perfect. Thanks for the recipe!
Genevieve
June 6, 2024 @ 8:13 pm
This was amazing! Bookmarking to make it again :)
Kylie
June 6, 2024 @ 7:46 pm
We loved this chicken for tacos! I topped with cotija and cilantro and some more lime juice. Really loved the flavor of the achiote.