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Homemade adobo sauce in a rustic bowl with dried chilies, garlic, and spices, rich red color and smooth texture under warm lighting

Adobo sauce recipe

This adobo sauce is rich, smooth, and layered with deep chili flavor from properly toasted guajillo and amarillo peppers. The blend of warm spices, sautéed onion, and garlic creates a bold base, while frying the sauce at the end gives it that authentic depth and finish. It’s the kind of sauce that transforms everyday meals into something memorable.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 12
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Calories: 131
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 6-8 dried guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded
  • 4-6 dried amarillo chilies, stemmed and seeded
  • 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
  • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns, toasted
  • 3 whole cloves, toasted
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, halved
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • ¼ cup Olive oil
  • salt to taste

Method
 

  1. Start with your chilies. You want your pan nice and hot—no oil, just dry heat. Toast your chilies one at a time. Don’t throw them all in together. Press them down gently and let them toast for a few seconds per side until they wake up and get fragrant. Be careful here—you burn them, it’s over. Set them aside.
  2. Now in that same pan, go in with your spices. Toast your cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cloves, and allspice. Just a quick toast until fragrant—don’t walk away from the stove on this one.
  3. Next, add a little oil and sauté your onion and garlic. Let them cook down until deep golden brown. This is where a lot of your flavor is coming from, so don’t rush it.
  4. Now bring everything together. Add your toasted chilies and spices back into the pan. Pour in your chicken stock and let everything simmer. You want the chilies to soften completely—this usually takes about 10–15 minutes.
  5. Once everything is soft, transfer it to a blender. Blend until completely smooth. Take your time here—you want a silky sauce.
  6. Now back to the pan. Heat up your olive oil and pour the sauce in. Let it fry. You’ll see the color deepen and the texture change slightly. Stir it and let it cook for about 10–15 minutes.
  7. Season with salt, taste it, adjust if needed—and that’s it. You’ve got your adobo sauce.