Chipotle Chicken

A chipotle marinade for juicy, flavorful chicken

My husband loves Mexican food, so I always want to jazz-up our weeknight chicken with Mexican, Southwestern or Tex-Mex flavors. This easy Mexican-inspired chicken marinade has become one of my go-to’s because I can make it the night before (or even in the morning, before work). The chicken hangs out in the chipotle marinade all day to soak up the goodness before popping it into the oven or tossing it onto a hot grill.

Steve Raichlen is one of my husband’s grilling and barbecue idols. (Mine too). With countless cookbooks and even a Barbecue University (how cool is that?)– his easy, do-able recipes and techniques always deliver big flavors and acclaim from our diners.

This chipotle chicken is based on one of his amazing recipes and all of the ingredients are probably in your pantry already.

What are chipotle peppers?

Chipotle peppers are jalapeños that have been left on the vine to fully ripen (they go from green to red as the mature). The jalapeños are smoked, then dried. Chipotle peppers are used primarily in Mexican and Southwestern or Tex Mex cooking.

What is chipotle in adobo?

Chipotles in adobo are rehydrated chipotle peppers packed in a tangy puree of tomato, garlic, onion and spices. The adobo itself is very spicy but balanced. Chipotle peppers stay tender and moist in the adobo, so they’re ready to use straight from the can and give the Mexican chicken marinade a deep, rich balanced flavor.

Pro-Tip:

Be careful when handling the chipotle peppers and adobo. The oils from the pepper and sauce can stick to your hands (even after you’ve washed them) so take care not to touch them directly and if you do, keep your hands out of your eyes and away from babies or pets. The burn is real.

This marinade comes together in about 30 seconds once the ingredients have been prepped — and the prep is pretty simple.

Prepping ingredients for the Mexican chipotle marinade:

1. First, juice one or two fresh limes and about half of one orange. Measure the juices and set aside.
2. Char the vegetables in a heavy skillet or cast iron pan. I have a small cast iron pan that works well for this.
3. Add a touch of Canola oil to the hot skillet and add the whole cloves of garlic with the peels still on, the wedge of onion and the plum tomatoes. Cook until the the outside of the veg is charred and the vegetables have softened. (The garlic takes about 4-5 minutes, and the veg will take 10-12).
4. Flip the vegetables with a pair of tongs to ensure that all sides get some color and char.
5. Peel the charred garlic cloves and add to a mini food processor.
6. Transfer the cooked veg to the food processor and add the citrus juices, spices, chipotle peppers and other ingredients and pulse several times until smooth.

Marinating the chicken

Now that the marinade is done, it’s time to give the chicken a good, long soak.

I recommend at least 8 hours or overnight. I’ll be honest, I’ve let my chicken thighs soak for up to two days and they just get better and better in this chipotle marinade, so don’t skimp on the immersion time.

The smoky chipotles really permeate the chicken and flavor the meat and skin while the acid from the fresh citrus help to tenderize and give a tanginess to the meat.

Trim the excess fat and skin from the chicken

We all like crispy skin on our grilled or baked chicken, but sometimes it’s too much.

You want a layer of skin to cover the meat and keep it moist as it cooks, but it shouldn’t be hanging off of the chicken.

Before adding the thighs to the chipotle marinade, evaluate how much extra skin and fat there is. (Based on my supermarket’s affinity for charging extra for what I don’t need, I’m betting you’ll have a fair amount too).

If your chicken thighs come with a large, excess flap of skin, trim it off.