- 4-5 pounds bone-in chicken thighs (I remove the skin)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ounces achiote paste
- 1 TBS EACH ground coriander, ground cumin, kosher salt
- 2 tsp EACH smoked paprika, dried oregano
- 1 tsp EACH pepper (I did 1/4 tsp), chipotle chile pepper (I did 1/2 tsp I think of this and it wasn’t spicy so I can up this)
MARINATE CHICKEN
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Whisk all of the Marinade ingredients together in a large bowl or freezer size plastic bag (maybe just put orange juice and achiote paste in initially until the paste dissolves?). Add chicken and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator 4 to 24 hours. Let chicken sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before cooking. (If using chicken breasts, only marinate up to 12 hours or else it can become mushy.)
HOW TO COOK CHICKEN ON THE GRILL
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Note: These instructions are for bone-in chicken thighs – see below for different cuts of chicken. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, 425-450°F, clean and grease grates with vegetable oil. Grill chicken skin side down first (if leaving on). Grill for 5-7 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through and an internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
HOW TO COOK CHICKEN IN THE OVEN
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Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Add chicken to baking sheet in a single layer so they aren’t touching. Bake at 400 degrees F for 25-35 minutes (depending on thickness), until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F.
SERVE
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Serve pollo asado with warm tortillas, Mexican street corn (elotes) pina colada fruit salad and Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice. We also love it with avocado corn salsa, corn salsa, mango salsa, or pineapple salsa.
Carlsbad Cravings