Taco Cabana Citrus Marinated Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 small onion
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 1/4 cups orange juice
- Juice of 4 limes
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon achiote (annatto) paste **
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 whole chicken salt and pepper
Instructions
- To make the marinade: Chop onion and garlic roughly and place into small bowl.
Add 1 1/4 cups of orange juice, juice of 4 limes, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano,
2 bay leaves (torn in half), and 1 tablespoon achiote paste. Whisk all ingredients
together, then slowly add salad oil while stirring. Place in refrigerator for 30
minutes before use.
- To prepare chicken for marinating: Using poultry shears, cut chicken straight
down the center of the breast bone. Place chicken cavity side down on a cutting
board. Grab the leg and thigh portions and pull upward so that the joint is removed
from the backbone. Using a boning knife, cut under wing section to separate wing
tendon from breast, but do not cut all the way through. Grab both wings with one
hand and pull upward to separate from joint. At this point, chicken should be completely
flat and ready to go into marinade.
- To marinate chicken: place chicken into shallow pan and cover with marinade.
Cover and refrigerate overnight, chicken should sit in marinade for 24 hours to
get maximum flavor.
- To grill chicken: If using a charcoal grill, start coals and allow to cook until
the flame has gone out and coals are glowing embers. Make sure coals are spread
evenly across bottom of grill and are not to close to grill surface. Chicken should
sit a minimum of 12 inches away from coals. If the coals are too hot or too close
to chicken, the cooking juices from the chicken will flare up and burn skin before
the proper internal temperature is reached. While waiting for the charcoal to burn
down, remove chicken from marinade, drain excess moisture, and thoroughly coat both
sides of the chicken with a good layer of salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken on the grill cavity side down first. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes,
then flip bird over and continue to cook skin side down until internal temperature
of 185 degrees F has been achieved.
- Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes, then cut into serving pieces of quarters
or eighths.
Serving suggestion: Place cut chicken on large platter and garnish with lime
wedges.
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