What is this sandwich?
This is a chicken torta ahogada. A torta ahogada is a very simple sandwich that is accompanied by a tomato-based sauce. The sandwich is typically served with carnitas or pork as the main ingredient, but I chose to keep things really simple and used store-bought rotisserie chicken.
As always, here’s my disclaimer: I am not an expert on Mexican cuisine or even a chef. I’m just a guy who loves sandwiches. In this sandwich blog post, I have shared links to recipes, content, and videos of people whose knowledge I trust.
Ahogada translates from Spanish to English as “drowned.” A torta is the name for a Mexican sandwich on a roll instead of sliced bread. So, using these two translations it becomes clear that a torta ahogada should be a drowned sandwich on a roll. What does that mean?
The torta ahogada comes from the Mexican state of Jalisco, or more specifically this is a sandwich born in the city of Guadalajara. The sandwich was supposedly invented by accident in the early 1900s when a customer asked for a bit of spicy salsa added to the sandwich and the torta maker dropped the whole sandwich into the sauce. The customer supposedly loved the spicy addition and sandwich history was made.
When ordering a torta ahogada you might be presented with a couple of options.
- Media ahogada = half-drowned, or partially dipped in the sauce
- Bien ahogada = well-drowned, or fully dunked in the spicy sauce
So we’ve learned that a torta ahogada is a sandwich from Mexico that is drowned in spicy salsa. I’ve never been to Guadalajara but have been lucky enough to enjoy torta ahogadas in the United States. The sandwiches I’ve had have been super savory, they’re usually fatty from the pork which is cut by pickled onions or radishes and swimming in a savory and spicy sauce. It’s a great sandwich and one I have enjoyed making and writing about this week.
Now that we know what a torta ahogada is, let’s get to work making one. First, we need some bread rolls.
The torta roll
The bread I used in this sandwich is not traditional to a torta ahogada. This sandwich is normally served on a bread called birote which is a sourdough sandwich roll that is crispy on the outside but still soft and chewy on the inside. The video I shared above has a lot of content about traditional birote from Jalisco if you’d like to learn more.
My sourdough starter wasn’t active when I started making this sandwich so I had to make a roll that would be close to birote but not quite traditional.
Legend has it—according to wikipedia—that birote bread could have been a byproduct of the French invasion of Guadalajara in 1864. It is thought that a French Sergeant named Camille Perrault wanted to teach the Guadalajarans to make baguettes like the French do, but they didn’t have yeast so they instead leavened the bread with sourdough.
So my choice of bread does make a tad bit of sense for this sandwich. If you don’t have yeast, you use sourdough. Or in my case, since I didn’t have my sourdough starter ready, I used yeast!
This is my French-style sandwich roll which is not quite a crusty baguette, but it still uses a similar technique in building a chewy bread with a bit of crust on the exterior. As you’ll see, there’s a lot of sauce on top and around a torta ahogada so I chose to bake the bread that would have the best chance at standing up to a lot of savory moisture.
I’ve mentioned this quite a few times in several sandwich blog posts, but if you are baking bread in a normal kitchen oven, you will be baking in a steam-free environment. Professional bakers in bakeries typically have the ability to add steam to their ovens which helps to create a crust on the exterior of the bread and helps with even browning.
Since we do not typically have steam options in our home kitchens, we have to BYOS and bring some moisture to the table when we add the dough to the oven. I do this by spraying the dough with water and I also add boiling water to an oven-safe pot that I place on the bottom of my oven when baking bread like this. Both of these techniques in theory add steam to a normally dry baking environment and they do work to add crunchy crust to fresh baked bread.
Turn this roll into a sourdough roll?
Turning this into a sourdough bread roll recipe wouldn’t be hard. I would have done it if my sourdough starter had been awake at the time of making this sandwich (I’m currently waking it up for a future sandwich). This French-style sandwich bread roll requires an overnight starter which is very similar to a sourdough starter.
The overnight starter in this recipe requires 120 grams of flour and 120 grams of water, plus a little instant yeast to help generate rise and fermentation overnight. A sourdough starter does this as well. So you can replace this overnight starter with 240 grams of sourdough starter that you fed yesterday.
240 grams is only a little bit more than what I typically have in my sourdough starter when I’m actively feeding it. So the night before you want to make this recipe all you need to do is remove 40 grams from an active sourdough starter and add 100 grams of flour and 100 grams of water and then when it’s time to make the full dough the next day you can either add a tiny bit (like 3 or 4 grams) of instant yeast to assist with the rising power of the dough or if your sourdough starter is a big strong baddie, you can simply go without instant yeast and allow for extra rise time for the production of the bread.
Here’s my French-style sandwich roll recipe without all that sourdough complication, but just know it’s possible and actually pretty easy to adjust this particular recipe to a sourdough version.
French-style sandwich rolls
An overnight starter sets these French-style bread rolls to be extra flavorful. A hot water steam in the oven provides a hearty crunch to the crust, while leaving a soft interior perfect for sandwiching.
Get RecipePickled onions
I’ve shared a few pickled onion recipes on this sandwich blog and this one is about the simplest one I know. It’s basically the same as the pickled red onion recipe I have on this site but swap 1/2 of a red onion for 1/2 of a white onion.
Pickled onions are not much to look at, so I only have two really boring photos here that you can view of the super simple process.
At first, it will seem like there’s not enough liquid for all of the onions that you put in the bowl, but the onion pieces will soften and those that are under the briny liquid will start to make room after a few hours in the fridge they will all be pickling. You can speed this up slightly with a bit of string or flipping the onions around with tongs, but just let gravity and time work and your onions will be pickled in just a few hours.
Here’s the recipe I used for these pickled onions. I just used white onions instead of red onions but everything else was the same. The instructions/ingredients are also in the full torta ahogada recipe below.
Pickled red onions
Pickled red onions are a tangy and slightly sweet addition to a sandwich that will add texture and crunch. This is a super easy and quick recipe that will add a big flavor bang to your next sandwich.
Get RecipeBlack bean spread
I’ve shared this spread quite a few times on this blog as a base for a couple of different tortas. It works well so I have added it to this torta ahogada recipe as well.
Black bean spread
Fantastic with chips or spread on a sandwich, this black bean spread is something I sometimes make for taco night to stand in for refried beans as well. Spread on the bottom of your torta to get some real flavor started.
Get RecipeThe two sauces
I stole the idea for how to start both of these sauces from Rick Bayless’ torta ahogada recipe. In his recipe, he uses one can of fire-roasted tomatoes and splits it to use as the base for both the spicy salsa and the mild and brothy tomato sauce.
You make two separate sauces because that gives each person eating a torta ahogada the opportunity to create a sauce that is the spice level that they desire. The spicy arbol sauce is pretty darn hot but the tomato broth has only black pepper in it. So if you hate spicy foods, you can still enjoy this sandwich, just skip the arbol chili sauce. If you love spicy things, you can add as many spoonfuls of hot stuff to the broth as you think you might enjoy. My only warning is to add just a little and then taste it first. It’s pretty spicy.
Spicy arbol chili sauce
This is a pretty spicy salsa that you create with fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic, and toasted chile de arbol. I have only ever seen arbol chilies in dried form, but I have read that in some areas you can buy them fresh. Since the recipe requires them to be dried, you might be able to find some of these online if you can’t find them at your local grocery.
Savory tomato broth
This sauce is practically a soup. It’s brothy, savory, and tomato-y and would work great as a side to a grilled cheese sandwich. It works really well in a torta ahogada because dunking the sandwich or dipping it will help to soften the fairly firm bread and add extra tomato savoriness.
The sauce is made half in the blender and half in a pot with the lid partially on so that the sauce doesn’t reduce too much. You want to end up with a sauce that’s almost like a thin tomato soup.
Once the chunkier parts of the sauce are blended until smooth, they are added to a pot with chicken or vegetable broth and a few spices and cooked for a few minutes to incorporate everything together.
The beauty of having two sauces is that you will use the bulk of this brothy tomato sauce to spoon over the torta ahogada and then you can stir small teaspoons of the spicy sauce into this sauce to create your own saucy adventure and keep things as spicy as you prefer.
Rotisserie chicken
A typical torta ahogada usually has carnitas or pork as the main meat or protein but I decided instead to use chicken. My wife isn’t the biggest fan of pork and since we were having this sandwich for dinner for the next few nights I went with an alternate plan. I thought about also buying a half pound of carnitas from my local grocery store but they didn’t have any available when I picked up the chicken.
I didn’t take any photos of this but when it came time to build the sandwich I would toss the chicken in a little bit of the tomato broth sauce and microwave it for 20 or 30 seconds just to take the chill off. I found the sandwich didn’t need to be super hot because the broth would warm everything up a lot.
And the chicken skin
This part is optional and I didn’t really add it to the full recipe down below. But as I have written before, if you’re breaking down a rotisserie chicken for use in tacos or a salad or something, you can save the skin and bake it on a sheet pan at 400 F for about 10 minutes to create a crispy crunchy, bacon-like skin “chip” that works well as an addition to whatever you’re using the chicken for. If you are making a salad, you can slice up the crispy skin for a garnish or you can do as I did for one of these torta ahogadas and add crispy skin in with the chicken which will add more salt and texture to the final sandwich.
The torta ahogada assembly and recipe
Serving a torta ahogada the traditional way
The traditional way to serve a torta ahogada is by “drowning” it in sauce. I did it this way once during this week and then I served it the alternate way all of the other times I made the sandwich. When you drown it like this, you need to be prepared for the fact that you’re setting yourself up for a multiple napkin or roll of paper towel meal.
You could eat the sandwich with a knife and fork if you want or you can grab a plastic glove and eat it like they do in some restaurants in Mexico that serve these drowned sandwiches.
Serving a torta ahogada the “dip” way
This is a neater way of serving this sandwich. You probably do not need a plastic glove for this version.
I first saw a torta ahogada presented this way at one of Rick Bayless’ Xoco Restaurants in Chicago. Basically, the point of this technique is to use the two tomato sauces, blended together as a dip for the sandwich, much like a French dip. The theory is that you would use the brothy tomato sauce as a way to moisten the bread and sandwich ingredients between each bite by dipping the end of the sandwich in the sauce and keeping your sandwich hand dry.
Chicken torta ahogada
This wonderfully savory torta is dunked in a spicy tomato broth creating a fantastic sandwiching experience.
Ingredients:
Pickled onions and black bean spread- 1⁄2 large white onion thinly sliced
- 1⁄2 cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 1 tablespoon bacon fat or vegetable oil
- 1⁄2 large white onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 to 10 dried arbol chiles
- 1 15 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes (shared between both sauces)
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1⁄4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1⁄2 large white onion, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- Crusty six-inch sandwich roll (or demi baguette)
- black bean spread (from above)
- rotisserie chicken, pulled and chopped into small pieces
- pickled onions (from above)
- savory tomato sauce (from above)
- spicy arbol sauce (from above)
- cilantro, minced (garnish)
Suggested Equipment
Directions:
Pickled onions: slice a large white onion through the stem/root. Remove peel on one half and thinly slice. Save the other half of the onion for the black bean spread.
Add your thin slices of onion to a bowl with the white vinegar. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt.
Stir everything together and leave on your counter for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. At first, all the onions will not be inside the liquid, but as things soften and the onion releases more liquid, everything will eventually become submerged.
Add to a container with a lid and store in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
Black bean spread: drain your black beans and discard all the juice.
Add bacon fat or vegetable oil to a medium skillet over medium heat. When the fat is melted and shimmering, add diced onion.
Saute onions until they become slightly soft. Season your onion with salt and pepper at this point.
Add minced garlic and drained black beans. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow the bean mixture to cool. Taste and add extra salt and pepper if needed.
Add cooled bean mixture to a blender or immersion blender and blend until you get a spreadable consistency. If you do not have a blender you can use a potato masher.
Store black bean spread in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Arbol chili sauce: add one teaspoon of olive oil to a medium pan over medium heat. When the oil starts shimmering, add 4 minced garlic cloves and cook the garlic for 2 minutes, stirring often. Remove the garlic to a plate and wipe out the pan.
Add 8 to 10 stemmed, dry arbol chiles to the pan still over medium heat and toast the chilis for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the chilis to the same plate with the garlic.
Add 1/3 of the tomatoes from the fire-roasted tomato can to a blender. Add the garlic and toasted arbol chilies to the blender with 3 tablespoons of white vinegar, 1/4 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Blend until you have a fairly smooth consistency. This is your arbol chili salsa/sauce.
The brothy tomato sauce: add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to a medium pan over medium heat. Once the oil starts shimmering, add 1/2 large white onion, thinly sliced, and cook for about 4 minutes or until the onions start to soften a little.
Add 4 minced garlic cloves to the pan with the onions and cook the garlic for 2 minutes, stirring often. After 2 minutes remove the garlic and onions from the heat.
Add the other 2/3rds of the fire-roasted tomatoes, juice, and all to a blender. Add the onions and garlic to the blender with the tomatoes and blend until the mixture is smooth.
In a large pot, add the blended tomatoes, onion and garlic and place over medium-high heat. Add 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth, cumin, oregano, and salt, and bring to a boil. Allow the liquid to stay at a slow boil or simmer and partially cover the pot. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. This is your brothy tomato sauce.
Torta ahogada assembly: slice a crusty six-inch sandwich roll and spread some black bean spread on the bottom roll.
Top the black bean spread with a pile of pulled rotisserie chicken and top the chicken with a few pickled onions. Close the sandwich with the top roll.
Traditionally the sandwich is placed in a bowl or large plate and sauce is poured over the top of the sandwich. Alternatively, you could dunk the sandwich in the sauce if you have a large enough pot. You can do either of these methods, but the slightly neater method below is the serving method that I prefer.
Add about 1/2 to 1 cup of brothy tomato sauce to a soup bowl. Stir in a teaspoon of the arbol chili salsa (but be careful this is fairly spicy). Taste the broth to make sure it's not too spicy for your tastes. Add more arbol salsa if desired.
Slice the torta in half and serve the sandwich partially dunked in the spicy tomato broth. Top the whole dish with chopped cilantro if desired. To eat the sandwich you simply pick half out of the sauce and bite the part that has been dunked. Continue and keep moistening the sandwich in the sauce as you finish eating the torta.
Check back next week
No one knows what I’m doing next week but I hope for your and my sake that it’ll be good.
