Mexican adobo chicken rice bowl recipe {gluten-free}

ADOBO. Talk about an identity crisis. There's adobo, the smoky, spicy tomato-vinegar sauce for chipotle peppers, and there's adobo, the Filipino national dish of pork or chicken stewed in vinegar-laced liquid. And there's Mexican or Puerto Rican adobo, more of a dry rub than a wet marinade.

I used Mexican adobo spices as a base for this recipe with a small amount of vinegar, marinated chunks of chicken breast, added enough broth to make a sauce, and cooked it on the stovetop. Then, I served the chicken and sauce on a bowl of brown rice, with a good dose of scallions cut from my garden. You can make all of the components of this dish ahead of time. Add some broccoli or asparagus, if you have it. This is a very satisfying (and gluten-free) meal-in-a-bowl.

Mexican adobo chicken rice bowl

From the pantry, you'll need: chipotle peppers in adobo, red wine vinegar, garlic, Mexican oregano, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, kosher salt, chicken broth, brown rice.

Serves 6, with rice.

Ingredients

2-1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, plus 1 Tbsp adobo liquid from the can
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup chicken broth (store-bought low-sodium, or homemade)
3 cups cooked white or brown long grain rice (you can make this ahead and reheat it)
1 cup chopped scallions

Directions

Trim the chicken pieces of any large, visible pieces of fat, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes, and place the chicken into a large mixing bowl.

In a blender, chop the garlic cloves until quite well minced. Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, orange juice, vinegar, Mexican oregano, salt, cumin and cinnamon. Process in the blender until the mixture is smooth, approximately 1 minute.

Pour the blended marinade over the chicken, and stir to coat the chicken pieces. Transfer everything to a zip lock plastic bag, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Every now and then, massage the bag and turn it over, to make sure the chicken marinates evenly.

When you are ready to cook, transfer the chicken and the marinade to a deep-sided nonstick skillet. Add chicken broth, and turn heat to medium to bring the liquid to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, keeping the liquid at a simmer. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover, turn the chicken about in the liquid, and continue to cook, uncovered, so that the liquid reduces and the chicken finishes cooking, 8-10 minutes more.

Divide the rice among individual serving bowls. Place some chicken with sauce on top of each bowl of rice, and sprinkle scallions generously on each serving.

Serve hot.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More dishes to make with the rest of the chipotle peppers in the can:
Slow cooker coffee-chipotle pulled chicken roll-ups, from The Perfect Pantry
Spicy skirt steak, from The Perfect Pantry
Chipotle chicken tacos, from Homesick Texan
Mexican slow cooked pork carnitas, from Skinnytaste

Mexican adobo chicken rice bowl

From the pantry, you'll need: chipotle peppers in adobo, red wine vinegar, garlic, Mexican oregano, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, kosher salt, chicken broth, brown rice.

Serves 6, with rice.

Ingredients

2-1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, plus 1 Tbsp adobo liquid from the can
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup chicken broth (store-bought low-sodium, or homemade)
3 cups cooked white or brown long grain rice (you can make this ahead and reheat it)
1 cup chopped scallions

Directions

Trim the chicken pieces of any large, visible pieces of fat, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes, and place the chicken into a large mixing bowl.

In a blender, chop the garlic cloves until quite well minced. Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, orange juice, vinegar, Mexican oregano, salt, cumin and cinnamon. Process in the blender until the mixture is smooth, approximately 1 minute.

Pour the blended marinade over the chicken, and stir to coat the chicken pieces. Transfer everything to a zip lock plastic bag, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Every now and then, massage the bag and turn it over, to make sure the chicken marinates evenly.

When you are ready to cook, transfer the chicken and the marinade to a deep-sided nonstick skillet. Add chicken broth, and turn heat to medium to bring the liquid to a boil.

Reduce heat to low, keeping the liquid at a simmer. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover, turn the chicken about in the liquid, and continue to cook, uncovered, so that the liquid reduces and the chicken finishes cooking, 8-10 minutes more.

Divide the rice among individual serving bowls. Place some chicken with sauce on top of each bowl of rice, and sprinkle scallions generously on each serving.

Serve hot.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More dishes to make with the rest of the chipotle peppers in the can:
Slow cooker coffee-chipotle pulled chicken roll-ups, from The Perfect Pantry
Spicy skirt steak, from The Perfect Pantry
Chipotle chicken tacos, from Homesick Texan
Mexican slow cooked pork carnitas, from Skinnytaste

Comments

Looks like you found the perfect marriage of adobos!

TW, it's so confusing, but I love all adobo, so that makes it easier!

Sounds like a really good combination of flavors. I would probably leave out the orange juice and just use a little more broth. Love the garnish!

Kalyn, of course you could leave out the OJ, though the little bit of juice really adds a nice undertone without making the dish scream "orange". Combined with the vinegar, the juice gives the chicken a fresh taste.

Mmm I brought back a can of chipotle peppers in adobo and haven't used it yet. This is perfect especially with the fruity zing of the orange juice. Another wonderful recipe.

Jamie, this is a decidedly un-French meal, but maybe with a touch of Florida. Hope you enjoy it!

I like that I can make all of the components of this dish ahead of time. This adobo chicken rice bowl is very delicious!

Love the flavor combination in your adobo - and I love rice bowls for a no-fuss meal.