This Chicken Achiote is made with drumsticks, achiote paste, orange juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
This is one of my grandmas favorite recipes. The key ingredient? Achiote Sauce. Since this chicken has bones, its always best to leave it cooking for a while on low heat as the bone produces the best flavor.
Whole, bone-in chicken takes longer to cook than boneless pieces, no matter the method. This is because of the way that heat radiates throughout the meat. In a boneless, skinless breast, there is no skin to retain moisture and no bones to conduct heat, so it cooks faster but can dry out.
If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Pork Birra Tacos and my Chicken and Shrimp Fajitas.
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Why you will love this recipe
Full of flavor: Chicken Achiote has a peppery aroma and a subtle flavor that's been described as nutty, sweet, and earthy.
Perfect for all weather: This recipe is great for any weather. I love to eat this in the summer and winter months.
Serves a crowd: This recipe is easy to duplicate.
Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Chicken drumsticks
- Achiote paste
- Orange juice
- Olive oil
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Add olive oil in medium heat in a large deep pan with a cover and start by browning the chicken. Brown the chicken 5 minutes per side and keep switching as the chicken browns all over. Add about ½ cup of broth in the pan, switch heat to medium low, and cover for about 1 hour.
Mix the achiote and orange juice in a blender and blend until smooth. After an hour, add the achiote sauce into the pan and Let the paste blend with the chicken juice and stir. Cover for another 30 minutes on low heat.
Hint: Keep at a low heat when you add the achiote in with the chicken.
Substitutions
- Chicken: I used chicken drumsticks for this although you could use bone-in chicken thighs.
- Achiote Paste: You can buy achiote paste at your local Mexican grocery store, although they sell them at the ethnic section of most grocery stores. You can also buy them on amazon.
- Orange Juice: For best flavor, use freshly squeezed orange juice, although store bought orange juice can work too.
Variations
Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish, or banana peppers
- Deluxe - add guacamole, crispy onions or
- Kid friendly - add crushed potato chips (ketchup chips!)
Check out this Chicken Mole.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.
I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality.
Storage
This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Top tip
Keep heat low when you add the achiote sauce to the chicken.
Print
Chicken Achiote
- Total Time: 1 Hour and 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Chicken Achiote is made with drumsticks, achiote paste, orange juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
Ingredients
- 9 drumsticks, skinned (approximately 2.5 pounds)
- 1 oz of achiote paste
- ⅓-½ cup of orange juice
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Instructions
- Add olive oil in medium heat in a large deep pan with a cover and start by browning the chicken. Brown the chicken 5 minutes per side and keep switching as the chicken browns all over. Add about ½ cup of broth in the pan, switch heat to medium low, and cover for about 1 hour.
- Mix the achiote and orange juice in a blender and blend until smooth. After an hour, add the achiote sauce into the pan and Let the paste blend with the chicken juice and stir. Cover for another 30 minutes on low heat.
Notes
- When diluting the achiote paste, the exact measurements are not written on the box. The typical proportions are one 3.5 packets of achiote paste to one cup of orange juice mixed in a blender. For this recipe, since we are cooking for 2.5 pounds of chicken, we will be using 1 oz of achiote paste and ⅓ cup of orange juice.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1.5 Hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 270
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 480mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 17 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Reggy Hernandez
It’s delicious, just like my mom used to make 🥲 and such a simple recipe to follow!
★★★★★
Maxine Dubois
omg I love to hear it!! It truly is comfort food to me too.