Mexican Roasted Chicken Recipes

POLLO ASADO RECIPE (MEXICAN ROAST CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Marinate the Chicken. Mix together 1/2 cup olive oil, orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, sazon, achiote, paprika, oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes and a bit of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to a large platter or dish and pour in the marinade. Alternatively, you can use a large sealable bag. Refrigerate and marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour. 3 hours is best.
• Grill the Chicken. Remove the chicken from the marinade and reserve the marinade. Heat your grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grates. Sprinkle the chicken with extra sazon and achiote powder. Grill the chicken pieces 5 minutes per side.
• Roast the Chicken. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Set the grilled chicken into a baking dish or cast iron pan and roast the chicken for 20 minutes, or until the chicken cooks through, turning half way through and basting often with the reserved marinade. The chicken should measure 165 degrees F. internally when checked with a meat thermometer.
• Garnish and serve!

MEXICAN ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Lightly coat a large pan with canola oil.
• Place the peeled garlic cloves, onion wedge, whole peppers and peeled and rinsed tomatillos in the pan.
• Cook the veggies on med-high for 15-20 minutes or until browned, flipping them so that they roast on each side. If they start to stick, add a splash of water into the pan.
• Place the cooked vegetables and the remaining ingredients into a blender and purée them until smooth.
• Cool the salsa to room temperature.
• Cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator.
• Mix the butter, salsa verde and chopped cilantro in a bowl to form a paste.
• Rinse the chicken well and pat it dry with paper towels.
• Place it on a roasting pan and spread the salsa verde paste over the entire chicken, getting it in the cavity and under any flaps of skin.
• Stuff the chicken with lime slices, onion chunks and whole garlic cloves.
• Bake the chicken at 350 degrees for 3-4 hours, or until the chicken is done. (It usually takes roughly 20 minutes per pound but use a meat thermometer to ensure that the meat reaches a high enough temperature, which is a minimum of 165 degrees for poultry according to the USDA.)
• For the last few minutes, you can increase the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees to brown the chicken at the end.
• If the chicken is getting too browned while cooking, cover it loosely with a piece of foil.
• Baste the chicken every 15-20 minutes with the drippings to keep the meat moist.
• If there are not enough drippings, combine the olive oil, beer, chicken broth, salsa verde and cilantro to form a basting liquid.

MEXICAN ROASTED OR BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Defrost the chicken, if necessary, and remove the neck, liver, giblets, and excess fat. Rinse if needed, then place in the pot. If you prefer a lower-fat version, you can remove the skin and most of the fat from the bird, but the flavor will suffer (you can always skim the fat from the cooking liquid, later).
• Preheat the oven to 320°F.
• In a small bowl, combine the achiote, comino (cumin), oregano, and lime juice, then use the back of a spoon to mash into a thick marinade or thin paste.
• Place some of the marinade in the chicken and work it around inside, then pour the rest over the chicken and cover the skin.
• If you are braising in the oven, you may need to add a 1/2 cup of water, depending on the type of bird. Try it the first time you make the recipe, and you can leave it out, later, if you don't want the additional liquid. You do NOT need to add the water, if you cook this in the a slow cooker.
• If the lid for your pot has any holes, or there are any gaps between the lid and pan (or crock), cover the lid with foil so it seals tightly.
• The chicken will need to cook 2 1/2-3 hours. Check the temperature at the thickest parts and remove when the chicken is done (approx 170, a bit lower, if you want to finish the chicken on the stove top). If you want to brighten up the dish a bit and restore a sour bite, add another 1/4 cup of lime juice a couple of minutes before serving.

MEXICAN CHICKEN BAKE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute the onion, green pepper and jalapeno peppers in butter until tender. In a large bowl, combine soup and milk. Stir in the rice, chicken, 2 cups cheese and onion mixture., Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and the cheese is melted.