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    Home » Recipes » Chicken

    Mexican Deviled Chicken (Pollo a la Diabla) + VIDEO

    Published: Aug 31, 2017 · Updated: Aug 8, 2023 by Maggie Unzueta

    Pollo a la Diabla, or Mexican Deviled Chicken, is a great weeknight meal that the entire family will love. It comes together quickly and is full of yummy, robust flavors. Enjoy!
    Jump to Recipe
    Mexican Deviled Chicken or Pollo a la Diabla
    Mexican Deviled Chicken (or Pollo a la Diabla) is a Mexican food favorite. Delicious, flavorful, and not too spicy. Serve with a side of rice, salad, and enjoy! By Mama Maggie’s Kitchen

    Pollo a la Diabla is basically Camarones a la Diabla but with chicken.

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    That sauce is killer. Pun intended. Ha! 🙂

    It is one of my favorite sauces to make.

    I know my family will eat it, and it’s delicious! It’s a “lick the plate clean” kind of dish.

    This Chicken Drumsticks in Tamarind Chili Sauce is delicious and full of amazing flavors. Spicy and sweet and ready to eat. By Mama Maggie’s Kitchen

    I am not reinventing anything here.

    In Mexico, we often make the same sauce to cook different types of meat. No shrimpy thingy here. It is all chicken.

    They say that “the devil is in the details” but this is super simple to make. Let me show you how easy this sauce comes together.

    Mexican Deviled Chicken (or Pollo a la Diabla) is a Mexican food favorite. Delicious, flavorful, and not too spicy. Serve with a side of rice, salad, and enjoy! By Mama Maggie’s Kitchen

    In a large stock pot, add the seeded and deveined chilis (no need for the seed).

    Once the water boils, cover and turn off the heat.

    Return in 15 minutes or when the chilis are soft.

    To a blender, add chiles, tomatoes, chipotle, onion, garlic, and salt.

    The mixture will be a thick.

    It is a very red sauce. Set it aside until you are ready to use.

    Table of Contents

    • 1 What to do if the sauce is too spicy?
    • 2 Freezing the Diabla Sauce
    • 3 Regional Varieties:
    • 4 More Mexican Chicken Recipes
    • 5 How to Bake:
    • 6 Mexican Deviled Chicken (Pollo a la Diabla)
      • 6.1 Ingredients
      • 6.2 Instructions
      • 6.3 Video
      • 6.4 Notes
      • 6.5 Nutrition
          • 6.5.0.1 Maggie Unzueta

    What to do if the sauce is too spicy?

    Taste the sauce before adding it to the chicken. If your sauce is too spicy, here are a few things you can do:

    1. Add 1 tomato
    2. Add ¼ cup ketchup.
    3. If you want it sweeter, you can add ½ cup ketchup.
    3. If you don’t like it sweet, add ½ cup chicken broth. You can add water too, but you will also need to add a little salt.
    4. Omit the chipotle.

    Mexican Deviled Chicken (or Pollo a la Diabla) is a Mexican food favorite. Delicious, flavorful, and not too spicy. Serve with a side of rice, salad, and enjoy! By Mama Maggie’s Kitchen

    Now, time for the chicken. Salt the chicken and brown on all sides.

    I am using chicken legs because they are super tasty and cheap.

    See why this makes a great family meal? You can use whatever cut of chicken your budget allows.

    I personally feel like chicken legs are undervalued in the the American culture. The Hubs says he is “a leg man” when it comes to this dish. LOL!

    Freezing the Diabla Sauce

    Making the sauce ahead of time is a HUGE time saver and very easy to do.

    Let the sauce cool completely at room temperature.

    Place in a plastic freezer bag.

    Put in freezer. It will take roughly 1 hour to become fully solid.

    The sauce can last from 4-6 months in the freezer.

    In the fridge, the sauce can last 4-5 days.

    Regional Varieties:

    The recipe for this sauce varies from region to region. Some people will add ketchup.

    Others will add different dried chiles or fresh chiles. I have seen people use Jugo Maggi and lime juice.

    The thing is: the sauce has to be spicy, but not so hot that you can’t eat it.

    Mexican Deviled Chicken (or Pollo a la Diabla) is a Mexican food favorite. Delicious, flavorful, and not too spicy. Serve with a side of rice, salad, and enjoy! By Mama Maggie’s Kitchen

    More Mexican Chicken Recipes

    • Ensalada de Pollo
    • Entomatadas de Pollo
    • Enmoladas
    • Pollo Poblano

    Then add the sauce and remaining chicken broth.

    Cover and let sit for 25 minutes or until chicken is done.

    The sauce will have thickened up slightly.

    So yummy! So satisfying! Pollo a la Diabla, or Mexican Deviled Chicken, for the winner dinner!

    How to Bake:

    • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
    • Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with oil.
    • Arrange the chicken evenly and bake for 25 minutes.
    • Flip the chicken.
    • Pour sauce all over the chicken. Make sure the chicken is fully coated with the sauce.
    • Bake for an additional 10 minutes, until cooked through.
    Mexican Deviled Chicken (or Pollo a la Diabla) is a Mexican food favorite. Delicious, flavorful, and not too spicy. Serve with a side of rice, salad, and enjoy! By Mama Maggie’s Kitchen

    Mexican Deviled Chicken (Pollo a la Diabla)

    Pollo a la Diabla, or Mexican Deviled Chicken, is a great weeknight meal that the entire family will love. It comes together quickly and is full of yummy, robust flavors. Enjoy!
    4.94 from 15 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 263kcal
    Author: Maggie Unzueta

    Ingredients

    • 2 lbs chicken legs or thighs
    • 4 guajillo chiles seeded and deveined
    • 3 chile de arbol seeded and deveined
    • 2 cups water
    • 3 tomatoes halved
    • ½ chipotle pepper
    • ½ onion diced
    • 1 garlic clove
    • 2 cups chicken broth divided
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper

    Instructions

    • Toast chiles on each side on a hot griddle.
    • Turning frequently.
    • (Be careful not to burn the chiles). About 30 seconds on each side.
    • Seed and devein the guajillo chiles and chile de arbol.
    • In a stock pot, add the chiles.
    • Add enough water to cover the chiles, about 2 cups.
    • Bring to a boil.
    • Turn off the stove.
    • Cover and return in 15 minutes or until the chiles are soft.
    • To the blender, add the chiles, tomatoes, chipotle pepper, onion, garlic, salt, and ½ cup chicken broth.
    • Blend until smooth and set aside.
    • In a large pan, heat olive oil.
    • Salt the chicken.
    • Add the chicken and brown on all sides.
    • Remove the chicken from the pan.
    • Make sure the heat is on low and add the tomato chile sauce and remaining chicken broth.
    • Gently scrape the bottom of the pan.
    • Return the chicken to the pan.
    • Cover and cook for 25 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
    • Serve with white rice.
    • Enjoy.

    Video

    Notes

    Taste the sauce before adding it to the chicken. If your sauce is too spicy there’s a few things you can do.
    Making the sauce ahead of time is a HUGE time saver and very easy to do.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 1157mg | Potassium: 647mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1840IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @MamaMaggiesKitchen or tag #MamaMaggiesKitchen!
    Mexican Deviled Chicken or Pollo a la Diabla
    Maggie Unzueta
    Website | + posts

    Maggie Unzueta is the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer, videographer, and creator of In Mama Maggie's Kitchen. She has been developing easy and authentic Mexican food, Mexican-inspired recipes, and traveling tips since 2010. From family recipes to her extensive travels throughout Mexico, she brings traditional Mexican flavors from South of the Border and into your kitchen. Maggie has been featured in notable culinary websites and other media outlets. For more details, check out her About page.

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    More Mexican Chicken Recipes

    • Albondigas de Pollo (or Chicken Meatball Soup) served in a decorative Mexican blue plate and topped with cilantro and sliced jalapeno.
      Albondigas de Pollo (Chicken Meatball Soup)
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    • A bowl of spicy chicken chipotle pasta topped with chopped parsley.
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    About Maggie Unzueta

    Maggie Unzueta is the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer, videographer, and creator of In Mama Maggie's Kitchen. She has been developing easy and authentic Mexican food, Mexican-inspired recipes, and traveling tips since 2010. From family recipes to her extensive travels throughout Mexico, she brings traditional Mexican flavors from South of the Border and into your kitchen. Maggie has been featured in notable culinary websites and other media outlets. For more details, check out her About page.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Shane

      April 10, 2023 at 12:59 pm

      Forgot , I also added a couple of cups of sliced mushrooms to the sauce at the same time as the sliced onions . Then just let the sauce cook down. Thanks again..

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        April 11, 2023 at 8:33 am

        Adding sliced mushrooms to the sauce sounds like a delicious addition! It’s great to customize recipes to suit your taste preferences. I’m glad you enjoyed the Mexican Deviled Chicken recipe!

        Reply
    2. Shane

      April 10, 2023 at 12:53 pm

      5 stars
      I have been looking for this recipe for a while to try . This was fabulous although I did tweak it a little bit. I used about 3 lbs chunked up chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and then braised braised in cast iron skillet. I boiled the chili’s in 2 cups of chicken broth instead of water . Poured it all in blender. Used about 4 cloves of garlic. Chopped about a 1/4 cup of onion in blender , but sliced up about 3/4 of onion in sauce after it cooked for awhile. Also added about a 1/4 cup ?of ketchup to sauce ,went by taste really. Added another cup of chicken stock to sauce . Turned out excellent. Thank-you for the inspiration.

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        April 11, 2023 at 9:17 am

        I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the Mexican Deviled Chicken recipe and made it your own with your tweaks! It sounds like you added some delicious flavors and adjusted the recipe to your liking. Thanks for sharing your experience!

        Reply
    3. Adrian

      September 16, 2020 at 9:42 pm

      5 stars
      Just a note: recipe says 2 cups of chicken broth but in the video only 1-2 a cup is used. I believe the video is correct 🙂

      Reply
    4. Janet

      May 31, 2020 at 5:47 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you again for yet another tasty recipe. I was looking for something to cook with items I already had and it was perfect. Will make this again, my 12 year old said it was perfect on the amount of spice.

      Reply
      • Patricia Ramos

        July 03, 2020 at 5:18 pm

        So glad you liked it! It is really yummy.

        Reply
    5. Anonymous

      May 26, 2020 at 11:24 pm

      5 stars
      I made this recipe three times to date. I prefer adding some ketchup to the sauce to give it a bit more sweet-tangy taste. So far I have made this Diabla sauce with shredded roasted chicken and shrimp. Either way it is delicious and goes well with rice or tortillas. Yummy 😋

      Reply
      • Maggie U

        July 08, 2020 at 3:07 pm

        Sounds really yummy. Glad you liked it!

        Reply
    6. Sue

      September 30, 2019 at 8:53 am

      When you throw the ingredients to the blender, do you use the water the chilis were in or just use the chilis?

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        September 30, 2019 at 9:01 am

        I’ve stopped doing that. The chiles usually are dusty, and the dust will go into the water. Nowadays, I use a damp cloth and wipe the chiles down before adding to the water. I don’t recommend rinsing chiles EVER. I also use fresh water in the blender, and discard the water the chiles were rehydrated in.

        Reply
    7. dominik

      September 11, 2018 at 7:38 am

      5 stars
      this recipe looks so good i cant wait to try it it looks amazing thank you

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        September 11, 2018 at 4:12 pm

        Thanks. Hope you like it!

        Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        October 03, 2018 at 3:44 pm

        Thank you! You’re going to love this recipe.

        Reply
    8. Mary

      August 16, 2018 at 4:29 pm

      Do you use the water the peppers were in.

      Reply
    9. Estella Marquez

      February 26, 2018 at 6:07 am

      Sounds wonderful.
      I’ll use New Mexico dried chilis.

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        February 26, 2018 at 11:10 am

        New Mexico Dried Chilis would be good too. The sauce for Pollo a la Diabla is delicious!

        Reply
    10. Sandra Dee

      February 12, 2018 at 9:14 pm

      Is the chipotle a dried or in adobo sauce???
      (I’m guessing it’s dried.)

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        February 19, 2018 at 1:07 pm

        Chipotle in adobo sauce. Dried chipotle is hard for me to find in the US. In Mexico, I can find it everywhere.

        Reply
    11. vicki

      September 01, 2017 at 10:55 am

      Wow! Looks spicy! This chicken has got to be good with all of that sauce!

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        September 01, 2017 at 3:56 pm

        That sauce is killer. Pun intended! 🙂

        Reply
    12. Sharon Glascoe

      September 01, 2017 at 4:02 am

      You always have the best recipes, Maggie! They remind me of my grandma’s cooking. Cannot wait to try this chicken!

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        September 01, 2017 at 3:58 pm

        My husband said the same thing. He said it reminded him of his grandma’s cooking minus the spice. 🙂

        Reply
    13. Denay DeGuzman

      August 31, 2017 at 4:28 pm

      5 stars
      What a wonderful Mexican chicken recipe! When I cook I like to mix things up and try new recipes. You’re always introducing me to fantastic new dishes and flavors. I love your blog!

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        September 01, 2017 at 3:58 pm

        Hope you do. You’ll love this dish!

        Reply
    14. Tracy | Baking Mischief

      August 31, 2017 at 12:45 pm

      5 stars
      Mmmmm. This looks so good. I’ve never cooked with either of those chilis before. I’ll have to see if I can track them down locally.

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        September 01, 2017 at 3:59 pm

        They’re easy to work with. Chilis all the way!

        Reply
    15. sue | theviewfromgreatisland

      August 31, 2017 at 11:01 am

      I love anything ‘deviled’ ~ this looks soooooo delicious! I also happen to have a whole bag of those little chiles just waiting to be used…

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        September 01, 2017 at 3:59 pm

        Perfect! let me know how it goes 🙂

        Reply
    16. prasanna hede

      August 31, 2017 at 11:00 am

      5 stars
      wonderful recipe! Your clicks are making me drool!

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        September 01, 2017 at 4:00 pm

        Then I’m doing my job. 😉 LOL.

        Reply
    17. Paige

      August 31, 2017 at 10:37 am

      This chicken looks amazing!

      Paige
      http://thehappyflammily.com

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        September 01, 2017 at 4:01 pm

        Thank you. My family loves this recipe!

        Reply
    18. Anjali

      August 31, 2017 at 10:36 am

      that sauce!!

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        September 01, 2017 at 4:02 pm

        Oh yeah! That’s the best part..

        Reply
    19. Ginny

      August 31, 2017 at 9:42 am

      5 stars
      Wow! Septiembre Fiesta is coming up and that Mexican sauce sounds like I can use it in many things. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Maggie Unzueta

        September 01, 2017 at 4:02 pm

        Very versatile and always delicious. Hope you try this recipe out! 🙂

        Reply

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