Chicken Adobo

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: The boldly flavored, vibrant Mexican sauce known as adobo is made by combining dried ground chiles, spices, herbs, and salt with vinegar. It is a popular seasoning for meat, but many recipes require a serious time commitment: an overnight marinade for the meat, plus simmering the sauce to concentrate flavors, not to mention preparing the actual dish. We wanted to achieve the same deeply flavorful results in much less time. We decided to quickly season our chicken (boneless thighs offered rich flavor and cooked quickly) with a salty, potently flavored rub made from chipotle chile in adobo, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. An unusual addition, espresso powder, heightened the flavors of our rub. While the chicken marinated, we built our sauce. First we sautéed onions and then added canned diced tomatoes, which we’d buzzed in a food processor to break up the pieces. Adding molasses to the sauce brought subtle bitter notes and gave us long-simmered flavor in only a few minutes. Cooking the chicken directly in the sauce allowed each to pick up flavor from the other. Some chopped cilantro added at the end brought a welcome note of freshness. Serve with rice.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 tablespoons minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1½ teaspoons instant espresso powder
• Salt and pepper
• 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons molasses
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro or parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Process tomatoes in food processor until smooth; set aside. Combine chipotle, garlic, oregano, espresso powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, then coat completely with chipotle mixture.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 6 minutes; transfer to plate.
3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in molasses, processed tomatoes, and chicken with any accumulated juices. Cover and simmer until chicken registers 175 degrees and sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
4. Transfer chicken to platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste, then spoon over chicken. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.