Pollo Asado, Mexican Grilled Chicken Ala Chef Lea Ann

Chef Lea Ann recently posted her recipe for Easy Pollo Asado (Mexican Grilled Chicken) on her “Cooking On The Ranch” blog, and since she is a go-to source for southwestern recipes, I knew it had to be tried.  She describes it as “Citrus juice and Mexican spices join forces to create bright and complex flavors for this easy Pollo Asado recipe. A juicy grilled chicken dinner with sheer pizzaz.”

Since I had 4½ lbs. if thighs, I upped the marinade ingredient amounts as shown below and I subbed green pepper for jalapenos.  While we have a Mexican store about 25 miles away, I just ordered the Naranja Agria and the Achiote paste from Amazon.  Be sure to check out Lea Ann's site, ( link above) for the original recipe and her good pics.

Easy Pollo Asado – Adapted from Cooking On The Ranch

Ingredients:

1 bunch cilantro, tough stems trimmed

1 1/3 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic peeled

1 – 2 medium Jalapeno peppers Stems removed. Seeds and veins removed if you want less heat.

1/3 medium green pepper

1/2 cup Fresh Orange Juice substitute 1 1/3 cup Naranja Agria (Sour orange juice) for this orange juice and lime juice

1/2 cup Fresh Lime Juice

3 tbsp + 1 tsp teaspoon Achiote paste

2 teaspoon Morton Brand Kosher Salt

4½ pounds chicken thighs, bone in-skin on, trimmed

Vegetable oil for grill

Lime wedges for serving

Instructions:

In a food processor, puree the first nine ingredients.

Place chicken in a resealable bag or large bowl and pour marinade over; turn to coat. Seal bag (or cover bowl) and chill at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.

Prepare a grill for indirect medium-high heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill); rub vegetable oil on grill grates.

Remove chicken from marinade to a large platter. Letting any excess marinade drip back into bag or container. Season chicken lightly with salt.

Prepare a grill by preheating to 450 degrees. Oil the grates using vegetable oil.

Once the grill is heated, turn down to 350 degrees and turn off the middle station to create a cool zone. So you'll be cooking over indirect and direct heat.

Place chicken pieces on oiled grill grates, and place the chicken pieces on the grill. Place chicken thighs skin side up. Grill chicken for about 10 minutes with lid closed.

Turn the chicken and start moving the chicken around every few minutes, utilizing the cool zone for any pieces that have become too charred. Keep the lid closed as much as you can.,

Cook chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thighs registers 170°, a total of about 30 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before serving. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over the chicken.

We served it with a nice salad.

The Verdict:

We all thought it was very good and even better with a squeeze of lime juice and we would definitely make it again.  Thanks Chef for a delicious meal.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/7/23 meal dates