Crispy Roasted Achiote Chicken Breast

This achiote roasted chicken recipe is bursting with flavor. And served with a roasted chile sauce, makes an exciting main course.

Course Main Course Chicken

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 3 30

Servings

Calories 529kcal

Author Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

For the Marinade:
1 head garlic roasted
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup Naranga Agria or 1/3 cup orange juice with a squeeze of lime.
2 Tablespoons Achiote Paste
pinch ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon ground
1 teaspoon Oregano dried, Mexican
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
For the chicken:
2 tablespoons butter room temperature
2 teaspoons Roasted Hatch Chile Sauce plus more for serving
2 chicken breasts halves skin and bones intact
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups tomatoes medium, ripe, sliced
1/2 cup Hatch Chile Sauce or salsa verde

Instructions

Brine chicken in salt water for about 3 hours. Remove from brine and continue.
No need to peel or separate garlic gloves: cut a slit in the side of each clove. Place the head of garlic in a microwavable bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Cool until easy to handle, then slip off the papery husks.
Place the peeled garlic into a food processor. Pulse until garlic is chopped well. Add the remaining marinade ingredients and process until smooth. Use a spatula to scrape down sides and run again for about 15 seconds.
Scrape half the marinade into a medium bowl. Add the chicken and toss with your hands to coat evenly. Refrigerate and marinate for 1 hour.
Scrape the remaining marinade into a small saucepan. Add the broth and set aside.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place seasoned chicken on a roast pan fitted with wire rack. Line pan with foil for easier clean up. Loosen the skin and slide 1 tablespoon butter under in between the meat and and skin. Then push in the teaspoon of green chile sauce.
Roast until thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reads 160 degrees, about 35 - 40 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, bring the broth mixture to a boil.
To plate, Place slices of tomato on the bottom of the plate. Top achiote chicken with a large spoonfull of the broth mixture. Pass around more Green Chile Sauce to spice things up.

Notes

Tips For Success

- Be careful not to crowd the breasts on the roasting pan. They won't brown and crisp properly if crowded.

- If using orange and lime juice in place of Naranja Agria, use fresh squeezed. You'll benefit from a more fresh fruit flavor.
- If making Achiote Chicken during Winter months, substitute tomatoes with sliced cooked potatoes, or sliced cooked tender squash such as zucchini or yellow squash.

- This recipe can easily be doubled to serve 4 people.

About Garlic: Seasoning with garlic can be a very personal preference. And all garlic cloves are not created equal. Some are larger than others. This recipe calls for 1 head of garlic. Granted, roasting garlic mellows the bite that garlic can bring to a recipe, but if you want to go easy, start with 5 cloves roasted garlic. You an always add more.

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