chipotles in adobo

Frijoles de Fiesta (Fiesta Refried Beans)

pinto beans, rinsed (see Note)

white onion

kosher or sea salt, plus more as needed

Colorado chiles (also known as California

vegetable oil

crumbled Cotija (about 1/4 cup), for garnish

These may be the easiest tacos you ever make, but you<span>’</span>d never know it. The recipe hinges on just two ingredients: canned chipotles and honey, which slowly caramelize together for a glossy and incredibly tasty sauce. You may hesitate because there's so little liquid in the slow cooker with the chicken, but don't worry. That's how it's supposed to be. It allows the sauce to get a little sticky, which is exactly what you want. (Get the pressure cooker version of this recipe <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020043-pressure-cooker-chipotle-honey-chicken-tacos">here</a>.)

Slow Cooker Chipotle-Honey Chicken Tacos

chicken thighs

honey

onion powder

garlic powder

cumin

salt

chipotles adobo sauce

black beans,

lime

Warmed tortillas,

Pickled onion, for serving (see Tip)

avocado,

Combine the chicken, honey, onion and garlic powders, cumin, salt and chipotle chiles and adobo sauce in a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker. Stir well. Cook for at least 3 hours and up to 5 hours on low. If it’s more convenient, you can let the slow cooker switch to warm after 5 hours. The dish will hold on warm for about another 3 hours before the chicken starts to become quite dry.

Using two forks, coarsely shred the chicken in the sauce. Stir in the black beans and lime juice. Cover and let the beans warm through, about 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt or lime juice if necessary. Serve in tortillas with pickled onion and avocado.

For good tacos, you need fresh, hot tortillas and a zesty filling. Canned chipotle chiles will do the trick with their smoky heat; it's an easy way to get flavor fast. Look for small cans with “chipotle chiles in adobo” on the label. And Mexican groceries generally have better-quality tortillas than the ones you find in supermarkets; it's worth seeking those out and heating them gently over steam, or by toasting them in a dry cast-iron pan. You can also use this recipe with precooked chicken, which makes this already quite simple recipe as easy as falling out of bed.

Chicken Tacos With Chipotle

chicken thighs,

scallions, left whole

bay leaf

thyme

black peppercorns

allspice berry

cloves

Kosher salt

olive oil

yellow onion, finely diced

garlic cloves,

chipotle chiles

adobo sauce,

broth (use broth from simmered chicken)

corn tortillas

serrano chile

radishes

avocado

queso fresco feta cheese

Crème fraîche or Mexican crema

Cilantro sprigs

oregano

Lime wedges

Put chicken thighs in a saucepan and cover with 3 cups water. Add scallions, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, allspice, cloves and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove chicken and cool. Shred chicken with your fingers, discarding chicken skin and bone. Strain broth and reserve. You should have about 2 cups shredded chicken.

Put olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced yellow onion, season with salt and cook until softened and a bit browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and cook for 1 minute more. Add chopped chipotle chile and adobo sauce and stir to combine. Add shredded chicken, salt lightly and stir to coat. Add chicken broth and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes, until sauce has thickened somewhat. Keep warm.

Heat the tortillas over steam or by your favorite method, keeping them soft and pliable.

Build the tacos quickly: Put a spoonful of the saucy chicken in the center of each tortilla. Top with a teaspoon of chopped white onion, a few slivers of serrano chile, some radish and avocado slices, a teaspoon of queso fresco and a teaspoon of crème fraîche. Add a few cilantro springs and a small pinch of oregano. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side.

A cross-cultural special sauce that came to The Times in 2015, from the San Antonio chef Quealy Watson, who served it with barbecued goat and duck. It is delicious spread on tortillas for tacos, or on buns for hamburgers, or as a chicken-wing or vegetable dip. Kewpie mayonnaise is a Japanese brand that contains some monosodium glutamate and is flavored with apple-cider and malt vinegars. It has a distinctive taste but can be swapped out in a pinch for whatever mayonnaise you have on hand, including, as always, homemade.

Chipotle Kewpie

chipotle peppers (‘‘en adobo’’)

mayonnaise

shrimp paste

Combine ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.

Adjust flavors, adding some of the sauce from the canned chipotles for heat, more shrimp paste for funkiness. Covered, the sauce will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week.

This recipe is for “queso,” and yes, the dish name is in quotation marks. That’s because it’s a dairy-free version of the familiar bright-orange cheesy dip. The recipe is adapted from the cookbook “Amá: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen” by the chef Josef Centeno, whose Los Angeles restaurant serves Tex-Mex classics and modern variations. Though the texture of processed cheese is impossible to replicate, this cashew dip is delightfully creamy with layers of complex flavor. For best results, make sure to thoroughly toast the cashews, char the vegetables and blend until the dip is completely smooth.

Vegan ‘Queso’

tomatillos,

shallot

garlic

cilantro,

raw cashews

chipotle pepper

almond milk

turmeric

red onion,

Tortilla chips

Make the salsa: Put the tomatillos, chile, shallot and garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Broil until the vegetables are charred and soft, turning halfway through, about 10 minutes. Once slightly cooled, transfer to a blender or food processor, add the cilantro and purée until smooth. (Reserve a few tablespoons salsa for garnish and leave the remaining salsa in the blender, as you’ll add more queso ingredients to it in a few minutes.)

Make the queso: Toast the cashews in a large skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the cashews are a light golden brown and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Once cooled, add the cashews, chipotle pepper, 3/4 cup almond milk, turmeric and salt to the tomatillo mixture in the blender, and purée until smooth. Add more almond milk as needed to get a smooth consistency, but be careful not to add too much or the dip will be too thin. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, if needed.

Transfer the cashew queso to a bowl, drizzle with the reserved tomatillo salsa and garnish with chopped onion and cilantro. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

This thick, smoky vegan chili comes together in just under an hour, and most of that time is hands-off simmering. You can use any kind of sweet potato here — keep in mind that the orange or garnet “yam” you see at the grocery store is actually a sweet potato — but you could also switch it up and use any peeled sweet winter squash, like butternut or kabocha. The recipe calls for either coconut oil or vegetable oil. If you’d like a mild coconut flavor, which plays well with the orange juice, choose unrefined or virgin coconut oil; for a neutral flavor, choose refined coconut oil or any vegetable oil. Use one chipotle chile for a very mild chili, and four if you like yours very spicy. (Get the slow-cooker version of this recipe <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021554">here</a>.)

Spicy Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

coconut oil oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

light brown sugar

orange juice

sweet potatoes (4 to 5 small-medium

frozen corn

Sliced avocado and red onion,

In a large Dutch oven, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring and adjusting the heat as needed to avoid burning, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the brown sugar, cumin, garlic and onion powders, and stir to combine. Add the orange juice and let it come to a simmer. Add the chipotles and adobo sauce, sweet potatoes, beans, tomatoes and lime juice. Season generously with black pepper and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir in 1 1/4 cups water and bring to a boil.

Once the chili comes to a boil, decrease the heat to low to maintain a simmer. Cover the pot and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, 30 to 45 minutes.

Just before serving, stir in the corn and let it warm through. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Top with avocado and red onion.

Pork and beans are cooked together in a slow cooker for mutually beneficial results (If you don't have a slow cooker, you can do it in <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020878-one-pot-barbecue-pork-and-beans">a pot in the oven</a>.) As the pork shoulder and barbecue sauce braise in the oven, the sauce soaks up the pork juices while the pork tenderizes. Then, beans are added to soak up the deeply concentrated sauce. The recipe uses store-bought barbecue sauce enhanced with the smoky heat of canned chipotles in adobo and brown sugar, which helps glaze the pork. Because every barbecue sauce is different, taste and adjust yours as needed. (For a more acidic sauce, add apple cider vinegar with the beans, or you can increase the sweetness with added sugar.) To serve, slice the pork or shred it into pulled pork.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork And Beans

pork

store-bought barbecue sauce

chipotle in adobo, finely chopped, plus more to taste

light brown sugar,

pinto beans,

Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork and Beans

Season the pork all over with 1 tablespoon salt and and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. In a large Dutch oven or skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the pork shoulder and sear until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in your slow cooker, stir together the barbecue sauce, chipotle and brown sugar. Taste the mixture and adjust sweetness with brown sugar and spice with chipotle.

Add browned pork to the barbecue sauce and turn to coat in the sauce. Add the beans and garlic to the sauce around the pork. Cover and cook on low until the meat falls apart when prodded with a fork, 8 to 10 hours.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Skim excess fat from the top if desired, then season the beans to taste with salt and pepper. Slice the pork against the grain into 1/2-inch thick slices, or shred the pork with two forks. Serve the pork with the beans.

You might think fajitas are too fussy for a weeknight, but this easy, foolproof version roasts on a sheet pan and can be ready in an hour. Because the ingredients are thinly sliced, everything cooks in a flash — and with little attention required. Smoked paprika, chipotle chiles and a quick stop under the broiler provide the smoky flavor that would traditionally come from the grill. This recipe is very adaptable: Chicken is called for here, but you could also use shrimp or skirt steak. For a vegetarian version, substitute fresh corn kernels, mushrooms, poblano peppers or zucchini for the meat. Cut the vegetables into sizes you’d want in a taco, coat them in the lime-chipotle marinade, roast until cooked, then broil until charred.

Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajitas

lime,

cumin cumin seeds

smoked paprika

chicken breasts

bell peppers, any color

red onion

flour

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together 4 tablespoons oil, the lime zest and juice, chipotle chiles, cumin and paprika with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken, toss to coat and set aside to marinate while you prepare the vegetables.

Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise, remove stem and seeds and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Peel and halve the onion and cut it into 1/4-inch slices. On a sheet pan, toss the bell peppers and onion with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Gently shaking off excess marinade as you go, transfer the chicken to a second sheet pan. Roast the chicken and vegetables until the chicken is cooked through and the peppers are soft, 15 to 20 minutes.

Once the chicken is out of the oven, move an oven rack close to the broiler. Turn on the broiler and transfer the sheet pan of vegetables to the rack. Broil until charred to your liking, 2 to 5 minutes.

While the vegetables are broiling, place the tortillas directly on a free oven rack until warm, about 1 minute, flipping once halfway through. Wrap the tortillas in a kitchen towel or foil to keep them warm.

Serve chicken and vegetables with tortillas and desired toppings.

This American classic can be a perfect dish: big-tasting, filling, nutritious, easy and very possibly vegetarian. With their rich natural broth, turtle beans do not need bacon, ham or any meat ingredient to make a satisfying soup. Black bean soup recipes have a tendency to turn out sludgy or bland, but the trick here is to season generously, and purée sparingly. The beans should be swimming in liquid, not sitting in sludge: The more beans are puréed, the more starch is released into the soup. For flavor, this recipe deploys marinated chipotle chiles, but a tablespoon each of ground cumin and ground coriander make a good heat-free substitute. (A note: Since there is acid from the wine here, if your tap water is hard there might be a reaction that will prevent the beans from softening. To be safe, add the wine later, along with the stock. And if there is any question about the hardness of your water, use distilled.)

Best Black Bean Soup

can chipotle chiles

carrots,

onions,

red wine

jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped

dry black beans (do not soak)

stock

oregano,

bay leaves

black pepper

Red wine vinegar,

red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

limes

Salt

Sour cream or Mexican crema

Whole cilantro leaves

fresh chiles

Empty the can of chiles into a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth, scrape into a container, and set aside. Put on a teakettle of water to boil, and keep hot.

In a large, heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add carrots, onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes.

Pour in wine and let simmer until pan is almost dry and vegetables are coated. Add jalapeños and cook, stirring, just until softened, 2 minutes. Push the vegetables out to the edges of the pot and dollop 2 teaspoons of chipotle purée in the center. Let fry for a minute and then stir together with the vegetables.

Add beans, stock, oregano and bay leaves. Stir, bring to a boil, and let boil 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partly covered, stirring occasionally and adding hot water as needed to keep the soup liquid and runny, not sludgy. Continue cooking until beans are just softened and fragrant, 1 to 2 hours. Add salt and pepper and keep cooking until beans are soft.

Meanwhile, make the pickled onions, if using: In a bowl, combine sliced onions, lime juice and a sprinkling of salt. Let soften at room temperature until crunchy and tart, about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze dry in paper towels and refrigerate until ready to serve. If desired, chop coarsely before serving.

Adjust the texture of the soup: The goal is to combine whole beans, soft chunks and a velvety broth. Some beans release enough starch while cooking to produce a thick broth without puréeing. If soup seems thin, use an immersion blender or blender to purée a small amount of the beans until smooth, then stir back in. Continue until desired texture is reached, keeping in mind that the soup will continue to thicken as it sits.

Heat the soup through, taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper, drops of red wine vinegar and dabs of chipotle purée.

Serve in deep bowls, garnishing each serving with sour cream, pickled onions, cilantro leaves, sliced chiles and avocado as desired.

Black beans star in this simple and delicious vegetarian soup.

Black Bean Soup

This vegetarian version of tortilla soup is no less complex than its chicken counterpart, thanks to plenty of vegetables, spices and a secret ingredient: canned chipotles in adobo. Smoked and dried jalapeños softened in a vinegar-tomato mixture, these little powerhouses do much of the heavy lifting in this vegetarian soup, offering depth and a certain meatiness to an otherwise light and tangy broth.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

yellow onion, finely chopped

garlic,

jalapeño, seeds removed,

salt and pepper

chile powder

chipotles in adobo, finely chopped

vegetable broth

corn tortillas,

queso fresco or shredded Cheddar or Monterey jack

sour cream

cilantro

onion,

Lime wedges,

Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and jalapeño and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add chile powder and stir to coat. Cook a minute or two to toast the spices, then add chipotles and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to caramelize a bit on the bottom of the pot, concentrating their flavor. 

Add vegetable broth, corn and 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer until flavors meld and broth tastes rich and flavorful, 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet or heavy-bottomed pot. Bring oil to 375 degrees and working in batches, fry tortilla strips until light golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt.  

Place about 3/4 of the tortilla strips into broth and stir to submerge and soften for a few minutes. Divide soup among bowls and top with avocado, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, onion and remaining fried tortilla strips. Serve lime alongside for squeezing.

Tinga is a Pueblan dish of braised chicken or pork in a chipotle, tomato and onion sauce, traditionally served on crisp tostadas and finished with toppings like crema, avocado and shredded lettuce. Some versions braise the meat directly in the sauce, while <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021734-tinga-de-pollo-chicken-with-chipotle-and-onions">others</a> call for chicken or pork that’s already been cooked to be warmed in the sauce. (Some variations include chorizo, too.) The dish is widely popular because it’s affordable and versatile, and tastes complex even though it is easy to make. For this slow-cooker adaptation, the bulk of the cook time is hands-off braising. Fresh corn is not traditional in tinga, but it’s delicious, adding pops of sweetness and a flavor that echoes the corn tortillas or tostadas. Add one chipotle for a mild spice level or three for a more intense result.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tinga Tacos

chipotle

tomato paste

Coarse kosher salt

Kernels corn corn

Mexican-style crema

In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine the chicken thighs, crushed tomatoes, garlic, chipotle chiles and adobo sauce, tomato paste, vegetable oil, bay leaf, oregano, cumin and half the onion. (Reserve the other half for serving.) Stir to combine and season with 2 teaspoons of salt. Cook on low until the chicken is very tender, about 6 hours.

About 15 minutes before serving, turn the heat to high and stir in the corn kernels, onion powder and lime juice. Cook until the corn is warmed through, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, if using tortillas, warm them.

Remove and discard the bay leaf. Using two forks, coarsely shred the chicken. Taste the tinga and add more salt or lime juice if necessary. Serve the tinga on tortillas or tostadas, topped with the remaining sliced onion, the crema and the avocado.

Guadalupe Moreno runs Mi Morena, a tacos de guisado business in the Bay Area, where a number of saucy fillings and toppings are used to mix and match tacos to order. She shared her recipe for tinga de pollo with Leticia Landa and Caleb Zigas for their cookbook "We Are La Cocina." Ms. Moreno's tinga de pollo works perfectly in tacos and also on top of crisp tostadas with lettuce and salsa, inside quesadillas or as a <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021734-tinga-de-pollo-chicken-with-chipotle-and-onions">tamal filling</a>. It’s a great way to use up any leftover cooked chicken (just skip straight to step 2), whether pulled from a roast or poached bird, or grocery-store rotisserie.

Tinga de Pollo (Chicken with Chipotle and Onions)

bone-in chicken legs, breasts

celery stalk,

tomatoes

chipotles

Salt and black pepper

Cook the chicken: Combine the chicken, onion, celery and carrots in a large saucepan and add 4 cups cold water. Add more water if needed to cover the solids. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the chicken is very tender and falling off the bones, about 45 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a bowl. When cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, then pull the meat into very fine shreds. Strain the broth and reserve for <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021733-tamales-de-pollo-chipotle-chicken-tamales">Tamales de Pollo</a> or another use.

While the chicken cooks, make the sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. While the onion cooks, puree the tomatoes, chipotles and garlic in a blender until smooth. Add to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the chicken to the sauce and gently fold to evenly coat and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately or cool to room temperature to use a filling for <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021733-tamales-de-pollo-chipotle-chicken-tamales">Tamales de Pollo</a>.

Smoky chipotle takes these muffins into savory territory, but this recipe can be used purely as a blueprint: Want them a bit sweeter? Lose the minced chipotle chiles, and increase the sugar by a couple of tablespoons. Need them to hold up to a heavily spiced pot of chili? Double the chipotles en adobo, add 1/4 cup minced red onion and a dash of ground cumin, onion powder or garlic, perhaps. Whatever you add, don’t overmix: Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined (a few lumps are O.K.) before folding in the cheese for muffins that are rich but not dense.

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Top 21 chipotles in adobo recipes from across the web

The most viewed chipotles in adobo recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Frijoles de Fiesta (Fiesta Refried ...

Slow Cooker Chipotle-Honey Chicken ...

Chicken Tacos With Chipotle

Chipotle Kewpie

Vegan ‘Queso’

Spicy Black Bean and Sweet Potato C...

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Best Black Bean Soup

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

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Mexican Style Pasta with Tomato Sau...

Vegetable Tortilla Soup

The most viewed chipotles in adobo recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine