I am finally writing about the spice from this week’s menu post. As some of you guessed, it is annatto seed, also called achiote seed. And I made a homemade adobo chicken recipe with it. And the chicken was good.

Nate came home one day saying how good the adobo chicken at work is, so I started searching for recipes. Oh my, there are so many recipes and they are all so different from one another…so I just picked one that sounded good and went for it. And the result was awesome. Different than what Nate gets at work, but delicious just the same!

Before I get to the recipe, I have to talk about the tortillas we used with our chicken. Tortilla Land sent me some of their uncooked corn tortillas to try out. I’m a tough corn tortilla critic and, I have to say, I’m so glad Tortilla Land sent me their corn tortillas. They are wonderful! They are not dry at all and don’t fall apart or break, which is what you normally get with store bought corn tortillas. I saw Tortilla Land at Costco just this week, so keep an eye out next time you go! (Seriously, keep an eye out and stock up if you see them…I have a hard time finding them, which makes me said because I love them so.)

Okay, back to annatto seed and adobo chicken. I used a recipe from About.com, but I’ve changed it up and written it out for you below. I know the recipe looks long, but honestly, this was an easy recipe, so don’t be scared!

The sweet but spicy sauce is oh so yummy, and grilled chicken is always the best. We served the chicken with tortillas, tomatoes and avocado. You could serve over rice if you like (which I think is how it’s generally served), or just eat the chicken straight up!

Homemade Adobo Chicken

 

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Sweet and Spicy!

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Main Dishes

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts (I actually used 3 drumsticks and 3 boneless thighs b/c that’s what I had on hand!)
• Salt (pref. kosher)
• Rub:
• ½ Tbsp. annatto (achiote) seeds
• 1 Tbsp. orange juice
• 4 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 1 tsp. cayenne
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves
• Sauce:
• ⅓ of the rub above
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. salt
• a splash or two of white vinegar
• a few shakes of cayenne pepper
• a few shakes of black pepper
• about 1 tsp cornstarch, whisked with some cool water

Instructions

1. Cover annatto seeds with boiling water. Cover and let sit overnight.
2. Drain seeds. Place seeds along with the rest of the “Rub” ingredients in a food processor. Grind until you have a coarse paste, without too many large pieces of seed left.
3. Place chicken in a casserole dish and sprinkle all over with kosher salt (or regular salt if that’s what you have). Cover pieces with about two-thirds of the achiote rub. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator for a few hours.
4. Preheat grill. Grill chicken about 10 minutes on each side over a medium flame or until done. (Click here with even better directions for grilling chicken pieces – this follows closely to what Nate did over a charcoal grill, he’s smart like that.)
5. To make the sauce, mix all the sauce ingredients (except the cornstarch) and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture during the simmer.
6. Pour sauce over grilled chicken and enjoy!

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OTHER RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE:

• The Perfect Taco Night
• Serrano Salsa
• Super Easy Chicken for Tacos
• Easy Homemade Carnitas

EQUIPMENT I USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

• Pyrex 9″ x 13″ Baking Dish
• Cuisinart Mini Prep Food Processor
• Weber Gas Grill
• Cuisinart Classic Stainless Saucepan
• OXO Silicone Spatula

By the way, if anyone out there does have an adobo chicken recipe they love, please share! Would love to try it out!