Chicken & Eggs · Yucatecan
Pollo Pibil (Yucatecan Achiote Chicken)
Pollo pibil is cochinita's lighter sister: chicken marinated in achiote and sour orange, wrapped in banana leaves and baked until it falls off the bone. Pasture-raised organic chicken has firmer, more flavorful dark meat that soaks up the recado and stays juicy.
- Prep20 min
- Cook90 min
- Total110 min
- Servings6
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg pasture-raised chicken leg and thigh quarters $270
- 500 g chicken thighs (optional, for extra dark meat) $280
- 100 g achiote paste (recado rojo)
- 1 cup sour orange juice (or orange and lime juice)
- 4 garlic cloves, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp organic pork lard $340
- 1 white onion and 2 tomatoes, sliced; 1 xcatik or güero chile, sliced
- Banana leaves, softened over a flame
- Pickled red onion and tortillas, to serve
Instructions
- Blend the achiote, sour orange juice, garlic, oregano, cumin, allspice and salt into a smooth marinade.
- Coat the chicken pieces well and marinate at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
- Heat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Line a baking dish with banana leaves.
- Arrange the chicken and marinade on the leaves, top with onion, tomato and chile slices and small dabs of lard.
- Fold the leaves over, cover tightly with foil and bake 75 minutes.
- Uncover and bake 15 more minutes to concentrate the juices. Serve whole or shredded, with pickled onion and tortillas.
Tips
- Shred leftovers for tacos, tortas or panuchos.
- Dark meat stays juicier than breast in this long cook.
