This lovely, Marinated Achiote Hen Recipe, additionally referred to as Pollo Pibil, is juicy, succulent, and stuffed with wealthy, deep Mexican flavors.
I am not an authority on Mexican delicacies — a neighborhood in Loreto, Mexico gave me a tough thought of substances and directions for this dish.
After I was in Loreto, Mexico I visited an improbable store that I cherished, Semillas y Especias el Gavilan, which translated means “Seeds and Spices Sparrow Hawk.” It was on this retailer that I realized this wonderful Achiote rooster recipe.
Gabriel Vazquez owns and runs the store, which isn’t simply stuffed with seeds and spices. This tiny store additionally holds the most important dried pepper choice in Loreto.
A purchased a bunch of Guajillo chile peppers. They have been such a reasonably, deep pink coloration that I could not resist.
I requested Gabriel what he cooks with them, and he began telling me a couple of rooster recipe he makes for his mates.
Achiote Hen Recipe
Gabriel instantly grabbed the achiote paste off one other shelf, and off the highest of his head, he described what I’m calling Marinated Achiote Hen Recipe.
I used to be hanging on his each phrase as he so kindly, generously shared his creation with me.
When he talked about including orange juice, I used to be in. I imagined how scrumptious that tangy sweetness could be with the smoky guajillo peppers and the achiote paste.
Gabriel Vasquez inside his retailer, Semillas y Especias el Gavilan.
The Elements
- dried Guajillo peppers – Guajillos can be found in any Mexican market, some bigger grocery shops, and you will get them here. (See under for extra particulars.)
- Achiote paste – You could find Achiote paste in any Mexican market, some bigger grocery shops, and you will get it here. (See under for extra particulars.)
- orange juice – Ideally freshly squeezed.
- recent garlic – Use agency heads of garlic with none comfortable spots or inexperienced shoots, that are a sign it is outdated and certain bitter. (Professional tip: If there are inexperienced shoots in garlic, slice the cloves in half and take away them with the tip of a paring knife. The remainder of the clove ought to nonetheless be good.)
- rooster – This recipe makes use of bone-in, skinless items of rooster. Recent uncooked rooster ought to be a lightweight pink coloration with white items of fats, little to no odor, comfortable and moist.
(See recipe card under for portions.)
The way to Make it
– Add the Guajillo peppers and water to a small pot and convey to a boil. Then scale back the warmth to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Flip off the warmth, cowl the pot and let it stand for half-hour.
– Take away the stems and seeds from the hydrated peppers.
(Go away some seeds if you’d like extra warmth.)
– Add the hydrated peppers and the water to a blender together with the achiote paste, orange juice and garlic, and mix till clean. It is probably the most lovely brick-red coloration.
– Add the rooster items to a big zip-lock bag and pour within the achiote marinade, which shouldn’t be scorching due to the addition of the orange juice. Transfer the rooster items round to make certain they’re all effectively coated, take away the air from the bag and seal it. Then put this in one other giant zip-lock bag to make sure it doesn’t leak. Place within the fridge for at the least 3 hours and ideally in a single day.
– Preheat the oven to 375°F and as soon as the rooster is finished marinating, add it, and all the marinade to a big sufficient baking dish to carry the all the pieces snugly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
– Bake simply till it’s cooked by, about 45 minutes. Flip the items over about midway by the cooking time and sprinkle with salt and pepper. As soon as it’s cooked by, flip the rooster over as soon as extra, sprinkle sightly with a bit extra salt, and serve.
What are Guajillo Chile Peppers?
- Obtainable 12 months spherical, Guajillos are at present one of the generally grown chile peppers in Mexico.
- In contrast to many dried peppers, Guajillos have the identical identify whether or not they’re recent or dried, although they’re mostly discovered of their dried type.
- Guajillo chile peppers have a candy, smoky taste that’s particularly scrumptious in sauces and marinades.
What’s Achiote Paste?
- Achiote is one other identify for annatto seeds.
- Achiote paste, which is often fashioned right into a small block, is a Mexican ingredient that consists of floor annatto seeds and varied spices which may embrace cumin, pepper, coriander, oregano, cloves, and garlic.
- A beautiful deep pink coloration, achiote paste originated within the Yucatán area of Mexico and can be utilized in sauces, marinades or rubs.
- The gentle taste of achiote paste is barely candy and peppery.
Substitutions
- If you would like to substitute the bone-in rooster for boneless, skinless thighs or breasts, go for it. (You’ll need about 2 ½-pounds.)
- Guajillo chile pepeprs. The perfect substitute for Guajillos are Ancho chile peppers. (The flavour will likely be a bit extra smoky and bitter.)
- The greatest achiote paste substitute in my expertise is paprika paste, with the addition garlic, cumin and oregano. (For this recipe, use the quantity of paprika paste listed for the achiote paste, and add 1 giant garlic clove, ½ teaspoon floor cumin and ½ teaspoon floor oregano.)
Recipe Ideas
- Whenever you take away the Guajillos from the water, they are going to seemingly be stuffed with water inside. Whenever you take away their stems, pour the water that is inside them into the blender over a small strainer to carry the seeds again. (That is extremely flavorful water!)
- Whenever you purchase a complete, cut-up rooster, the pores and skin is sort of all the time nonetheless on. You probably have any hassle eradicating it, pull it with a paper towel. It’s going to come off simply this fashion — particularly on the legs and wings.
Serving Recommendations
Achiote rooster is scrumptious with so many alternative facet dishes. Beneath are just a few of my favorites to serve with it.
Typically I make the Achiote sauce/marinade and serve it on it is personal, proper out of the blender, with tortilla chips. It is so scrumptious!
I baked the rooster in my Chamba pottery baking dish — it might probably go on the hearth, within the oven, and is gorgeous to serve in.
Making it Forward
- Because the rooster is cooked on the bone, it is going to be further juicy and will likely be scrumptious for just a few days.
- You can also make your complete dish as much as 3 days forward. Let it cool fully, cowl it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. The day you are serving it, take away it from the fridge about an hour earlier than dinner. Warmth it in a preheated 375°F oven simply till it is scorching, about 10 minutes.
I significantly encourage you to make this Marinated Achiote Hen recipe (Pollo Pibil). It’s really out of this world.
Take pleasure in!
Marinated Achiote Hen Recipe
This lovely, Marinated Achiote Hen Recipe, additionally referred to as Pollo Pibil, is juicy, succulent, and stuffed with wealthy, deep Mexican flavors.