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Chipotle Adobo Chicken Thighs

Boneless skinless thighs marinated in a smoky-sweet chipotle adobo, then finished in the air fryer or skillet. Big flavour, minimal hands-on time.

10 min prep · 15 min cook · 25 min total · 4 people
Quick

Adapted from ChatGPT

Ingredients

people
  • 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 3 chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp adobo sauce (from the can)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1.5 tsp garlic powder)
  • 1.5 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice (or lime)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika (to taste)
  • 0.5 tsp ground cumin (to taste)
  • 0.5 tsp salt (to taste)
  • 1 pinch black pepper (to taste) (to taste)

Steps

  1. Make the marinade. Whisk the chopped chipotles, adobo sauce, garlic, honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, oil, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper together until smooth.
  2. Marinate. Add the thighs and coat well. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes — ideally 2–8 hours. Longer than overnight and the acid starts to mush the texture.
  3. Cook by one of the methods below.

Air fryer

  1. Preheat to 400°F (200°C).
  2. Shake excess marinade off the thighs and lay them in a single layer (work in batches if needed — don’t crowd).
  3. Cook 12–14 minutes, flipping at the 7-minute mark, until internal temp hits 170–175°F. The honey will caramelize on the edges — that’s the goal.

Stovetop

  1. Heat a heavy skillet (cast iron is great) over medium-high with a splash of oil.
  2. Shake excess marinade off the thighs (it’s sugary and will burn if you leave it thick). Lay them smooth-side down.
  3. Sear 5–6 minutes undisturbed until deeply browned. Flip, lower heat to medium, and cook another 5–7 minutes to 170–175°F internal.
  4. Rest 3–5 minutes before slicing.

Notes

  • Don’t overcook boneless thighs. They turn chalky past ~180°F. A thermometer pays for itself.
  • Spice level: 3 chipotles is medium-hot. Use 2 for a milder version, 4 if you want it to bite.
  • Reserve a spoonful of marinade before adding the chicken if you want a finishing drizzle — you can’t reuse the marinade after raw chicken has sat in it.
  • Pairs well with rice, charred corn, or a quick slaw to balance the heat. Lime crema or a dollop of the Greek yogurt tzatziki cools things down nicely.

My Notes

(your own tweaks go here)

chickendinnerweeknightmarinadespicy