Achiote chicken with wilted chard is a restaurant-quality dish made for home cooks.
DO try this at home.
Achiote chicken is something you don’t always see on the menu. We found this recipe at a cooking class in nearby Napa, years ago. I had never heard of achiote before, and the color and aroma of this roasted chicken dish was out of this world. We had to bring it home.
Achiote is the product of processing Annatto seeds from the achiote tree, native to the tropical regions of South America. It is an orange-red condiment and food coloring commonly found in dairy items, baked goods, snack foods, smoked fish, and sausages. Early uses of annatto included pigments for dying fabrics, art, ritual body painting, sunscreen, insect repellent, and medicinal purposes. In the 16th century, Mexican manuscripts were painted with Annatto.
When used in food, the flavor and aroma is warm, smoky and slightly peppery. It has since found its way into Spanish, Portuguese, Caribbean, Vietnamese and Filipino cuisines.
This recipe starts with preparing a recado rojo (achiote paste) with other seeds and herbs. Next, slather the paste all over chicken leg quarters or whole chickens as a marinade. Roast in the oven (or on the grill!) until done and the skin is crispy. This recipe also works well with fish.
You can buy pre-made achiote paste at your local Mexican or South American market if you must. We don’t prefer to buy what we can easily make ourselves, so here is how to make your own.
Serve your achiote chicken over wilted chard sautéed in a little olive oil with bacon, onions and garlic and a splash of good-quality balsamic vinegar for a vinegary-sweet finish. Pairs well with a nice old-vine Zinfandel.
Achiote Chicken with Wilted Chard
Equipment
- Mortar and pestle or spice grinder
- Mixing bowl
- Gloves
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Saute pan
Mise en place
Achiote Paste
- 1/4 C achiote powder
- 1 tbsp whole coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 ea whole cloves
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 c orange juice fresh squeezed
- 1/4 c lime juice fresh squeezed
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
Chicken Legs
- 4 ea bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters leg and drumstick attached
- 1 tbsp salt
Sautéed Chard
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ea slice of bacon or pancetta cut into 1/2" pieces
- 1/2 ea red onion 1/2" diced
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 lb rainbow, red or swiss chard stalks removed and cut into 1" pieces, leaves cut into 2" long ribbons
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
Method
Make the achiote paste
- Combine achiote powder, coriander seeds, dried oregano, peppercorns, cumin seeds, salt and whole cloves in the mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Pulverize into a fine powder.
- Add garlic cloves and pulverize until smooth. Transfer spice mix into a mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining liquid ingredients and stir to fully combine. It will create a paste you can use immediately, or store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Make the chicken
- Pre-heat the oven to 425
- Season the chicken leg quarters with salt. It tastes best when you let the seasoned chicken to rest uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. This seasons the chicken inside and out and makes the skin crispy when you pull it out of the oven.
- Wearing food-safe gloves, rub about 1/2 C of your achiote paste all over each chicken leg quarter, making sure they are fully-coated, including a little under the skin.
- Roast the chicken in the oven on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, about 60 minutes, or until done (as soon as the internal temp hits 165 degrees). Let rest 10 minutes and serve.
Make the chard
- While the chicken is resting, add the olive oil to a sauté pan over medium heat, then add the chopped bacon. Sauté 2-3 minutes.
- Add the diced onions and slivered garlic and sauté 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant
- Add the chard stalks first, and cook 3 minutes more to soften a bit.
- Add the chard leaves a handful at a time, and sauté until slightly wilted before adding the next handful.
- Once the chard leaves are wilted and the stalks are cooked to their desired doneness (al dente with a little crunch), add the balsamic vinegar, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve
- Divide the chard into four portions. Mound each portion of chard in the center of each plate and top with a chicken leg quarter.
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