Achiote Roast Chicken Recipes

YUCATáN CHICKEN WITH ACHIOTE

Steps:

• Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch-wide strips. In a large bowl, mix together the orange juice, oregano, garlic, chile, achiote paste, salt, pepper, allspice, and olive oil to make the marinade. Add the chicken strips to the mixture and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• To cook the chicken, remove the strips from the marinade and drain off any excess liquid. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the chicken strips, turning once or twice, until thoroughly cooked (cut one to test), about 9 minutes total.
• Remove from the heat, squeeze fresh lime juice over the strips, and serve immediately or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.
• To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with salsa and pickled onions. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with salsa and pickled onions, fold, and eat right away.

ROAST ACHIOTE CITRUS CHICKEN

Steps:

• Rub the marinade all over the chicken, inside and out. Place in a bowl, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or as long as overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Lift the chicken from the marinade and place on a work surface. Cut the onion, head of garlic and orange in half and stuff inside the chicken's cavity. Tie the legs together and place on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side down.
• Roast 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and roast 20 minutes longer. Turn the chicken, breast side up, and bake 40 to 50 minutes longer, basting occasionally with the pan juices, until a drumstick feels loose when jiggled and the skin is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with rice and beans.

CHICKEN LEGS WITH ACHIOTE GARLIC SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Toast seeds, spices, and oregano together in a dry heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Cool slightly, then finely grind mixture in grinder.
• Mince garlic and mash to a paste with salt using a large heavy knife, then transfer to a large bowl and whisk in ground spices, juices, and oil.
• Remove skin and all visible fat from chicken, then add chicken to juice mixture and turn to coat.
• Lay foil loosely on top of a 13- by 9-inch baking dish and arrange collard leaves, overlapping, to create a 14-inch round in center of foil. Press foil and leaves loosely into dish to form a well, then mound chicken with sauce in well and fold collards over chicken to enclose. Wrap collard package snugly in foil, crimping edges to seal completely.
• Transfer foil package from baking dish directly to rack in middle of oven and bake until chicken is cooked through, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
• Transfer foil package to a serving dish, then open foil. (If desired, carefully pull out foil from under collard package.) Open collards and serve chicken with rice and pickled onions.