Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 900 g bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 900 g bone-in skin-on chicken drumsticks
Chiles & Spices
- 15 g dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 15 g annatto seeds
- 2 g whole black peppercorns
- whole cloves
- 3 g ground cumin
- 2 g mexican oregano, dried
- 20 g garlic, peeled cloves
- 25 g kosher salt
Liquids
- 120 ml orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 60 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 30 ml white vinegar
- 30 ml neutral oil
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 656 kcal
- Protein
- 53 g
- Carbohydrates
- 8 g
- Fat
- 44 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 1901 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 11 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 16 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Cholesterol
- 285 mg
- Potassium
- 754 mg
- Calcium
- 51 mg
- Iron
- 3.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 61 mg
- Phosphorus
- 494 mg
- Zinc
- 4.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 567 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 14 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 10 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.7 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.26 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.53 mg
- Niacin
- 14.3 mg
- Folate
- 17 mcg
- Water
- 242 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place a skillet over medium heat. Add the dried guajillo chiles, annatto seeds, black peppercorns, and cloves. Toast for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until highly fragrant. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes to hydrate the chiles and soften the seeds.
Drain the soaking liquid from the chiles and spices. Transfer the mixture to a blender. Add the ground cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic, kosher salt, orange juice, lime juice, white vinegar, and neutral oil. Blend on high until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Place the chicken thighs and drumsticks in a large mixing bowl. Pour the blended marinade over the chicken, massaging it thoroughly to ensure every piece is completely coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight. Wash your hands and all surfaces thoroughly after handling raw chicken to prevent cross-contamination.
Set up your grill for two-zone cooking by establishing a hot zone for direct heat and a cooler zone for indirect heat. The grill temperature should stabilize around 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit).
Using tongs, remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off. Place the chicken skin-side down on the hot, direct-heat side of the grill. Sear for 4 to 5 minutes until the skin is nicely charred and releases easily from the grates.
Flip the chicken pieces and immediately move them to the cooler, indirect-heat side of the grill. Cover the grill and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer. The chicken is safe to eat at 74 degrees Celsius (165 degrees Fahrenheit), but pushing dark meat to 80 degrees Celsius (175 degrees Fahrenheit) will result in more tender meat.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean platter. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving to allow the internal juices to stabilize and redistribute.
Chef's Notes
- Annatto seeds are naturally quite hard. If your blender struggles to pulverize them even after soaking, you can substitute an equal weight of high-quality achiote paste.
- Mexican oregano has a distinct, bright, and slightly citrusy flavor profile compared to Mediterranean oregano. If you cannot find it, marjoram is a closer substitute than Italian oregano.
- Dark meat chicken like thighs and drumsticks is technically safe at 74 degrees Celsius, but the dense connective tissues break down beautifully when pushed to 80 degrees Celsius, resulting in a much more tender bite.
- Always reserve a small amount of the fresh marinade if you want to baste the chicken while cooking. Never baste with the liquid that raw chicken has soaked in.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. Leftovers are excellent shredded for tacos.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze cooked chicken off the bone in a sealed bag or container.
Reheating: Reheat gently in an oven at 175 degrees Celsius loosely covered in foil to prevent drying out.
Troubleshooting
Chicken skin burns before the meat is cooked through
Cause: Sugars from the citrus juices and dried chiles scorch easily over sustained direct heat
Fix: Move chicken to the cooler zone of the grill and finish cooking with the lid closed
Prevention: Sear briefly over direct heat, then immediately move the chicken to the indirect heat zone to finish cooking
Marinade is gritty
Cause: Annatto seeds were not blended finely enough
Fix: Pass the blended marinade through a fine mesh strainer before applying it to the chicken
Prevention: Ensure seeds are soaked fully in hot water, and blend the marinade for a longer period of time
Cultural Context
The use of annatto seeds and citrus juice to marinate meats is deeply rooted in the culinary traditions of the Yucatan Peninsula. When combined with earthy dried chiles like the guajillo, it bridges the gap into Northern Mexican grilling techniques, creating a hybrid Pollo Asado that features the signature brick-red color of the south and the smoky, robust heat of the north.
