Pollo a la diabla
Mexican deviled chicken simmered in a smoky, fiery chipotle tomato sauce, as spicy as you dare, with rice to soak it all up.
- 65 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $1.98 a serving
- 780 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 6 bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo, peppers, plus 1 tbsp sauce
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ white onion, roughly chopped
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice
- 1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 2¼ cups water
Each serving has about 780 calories, 40 g protein, 65 g carbs and 38 g fat, and costs about $1.98 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No bone-in chicken thighs? Chicken drumsticks work.
- No diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No chicken broth? Vegetable broth or bone broth works.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the chicken dry and it with 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Season. Seasoning means adding salt, pepper or spices to bring out a food’s flavor. A little at a few stages tastes better than a lot all at the end.
How you’ll know: When you taste it, it tastes bright and like itself, not flat and not salty.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Heat the oil in a large deep over medium-high. the chicken 5 minutes per side and move it to a plate.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium-high heatTimer: 10 min
Blend the tomatoes, chipotles and their sauce, garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin, oregano, broth and ½ teaspoon of salt until smooth.
Dolly’s tip: For less heat, use 1 or 2 chipotles. You can always stir in more adobo sauce later.Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat, then pour the sauce into the and 5 minutes, until it darkens.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: It will splutter when it hits the hot pan. Pour slowly and stand back.Return the chicken, cover, turn the heat to low and 25 minutes, turning once, until the thickest thigh reads 165°F.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 25 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Meanwhile, the rice and bring it with the water in a medium over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 18 minutes. Take it off the heat and keep the lid on.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Low heatTimer: 18 min
Serve the chicken and sauce over the rice with lime wedges and cilantro.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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