Canned Chipotles In Adobo Is Your Ticket To Better Store-Bought Sauces

You can find chile peppers in many forms throughout Mexican cuisine. Fresh peppers are added to guacamole or charred and stuffed into chile rellenos while dried ones are rehydrated and blended into broths or marinades. Then there are canned chipotles in adobo, dehydrated jalapeños that have been stewed in a tangy, sweet, and aromatic sauce. Not only are they a smoky ingredient that will take your tacos to the next level, but they're also your ticket to better store-bought sauces.

Canned chipotles' complexity makes them a versatile addition to numerous sauces. You should liquify the peppers in a blender before adding a few tablespoons to a store-bought sauce for even distribution. Their spicy and smoky notes would be the perfect upgrade to a store-bought barbecue sauce. They would enhance a variety of meats, such as ribs and pulled pork. You could stir them into store-bought quesos or mild jarred salsas for more depth.

You can make the chipotles more of the focal point by adding them to creamy sauces with milder flavors that won't upstage the peppers' flavor profile. So, try adding them to a store-bought Alfredo sauce or even a vodka sauce for your next pasta night. Chipotles mixed with bottled Ranch dressing would taste great on a Cobb salad. Adding chipotles to your favorite mayo brand will make a tasty dipping sauce for fries and chicken fingers and a great condiment to spread over burgers and sandwiches.

Unless you're using multiple bottles of sauce or a chipotle crema, you're probably not planning on dumping an entire can of chipotles in adobo into a single sauce. So, instead of racking your brain on how you can use up the rest of the can before it goes bad, you can portion and freeze the rest of the contents for future sauces and meals.

The easiest way to portion and freeze pureed chipotles is by pouring them into an ice cube mold to freeze into tablespoon-sized portions. Once frozen, you can transfer them into a plastic bag to store for weeks or even months. Pull a few cubes out of the fridge to defrost on the counter in a bowl while you prepare a meal. You can also microwave them in a small glass bowl in 15-second increments for quicker thawing.

Not only can you add these peppers to store-bought sauces, but they'll also work well as a seasoning agent for canned goods. For example, you can stir a few tablespoons of chipotle in adobo into a store-bought canned chili or black bean or lentil soup. Swirling the peppers in sweet potato puree would create an elevated side dish.