Pollo al Horno in Adobo (Roast Chicken in Adobo)
Roast chicken pieces in adobo marinade. Sounds good to me. This Guajillo pepper marinade is very flavorful and simple to make. I recommend making extra marinade so you can baste the chicken pieces a few times the last 20 minutes of cooking. For this recipe, I used whole chicken legs that I separating the drums and thighs. The thighs and drumsticks are closer together in size so I didn't use any chicken breasts or wings. I want the chicken to cook evenly at the same rate. Wings would cook quicker and the breasts would take longer. You can definitely marinate a whole chicken like this. I would let it sit in a gallon size ziplock bag and marinate for at least 24 hours then. A 4lb. roasting chicken will take about 80 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees. Another great way to prepare this dish is to grill the chicken pieces. The chicken will take about 35-40 minutes indirectly on a charcoal grill and 25-30 minutes on a gas grill. Turn every 5 minutes or so and baste with the extra Guajillo pepper marinade. Internal temperature in dark meat must read 180 degrees, 165 for white meat.Once the chicken is finished cooking, however way you want to prepare it, squeeze lime juice over the pieces and let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 whole chicken legs drum and thigh separated
- salt to season
- 3 Guajillo peppers
- 1 tsp sazon
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- In a dry skillet, roast the Guajillo peppers for 3 minutes.
- Soak the peppers in water for 20 minutes to soften up.
- Add the Guajillo peppers, sazon, oregano, cumin, black pepper, garlic cloves, lime juice, and water to a blender.
- Puree until smooth.
- Peel back the skin on the chicken pieces and season the meat with salt.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- When ready to cook the chicken, let sit out at room temp for 30 minutes. Pull the skin back over the chicken pieces. Season the top with more salt. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the chicken on a rack on a foil covered baking sheet. Add a cup of water to the pan to prevent burning.
- Roast the chicken for 45-50 minutes. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Serve the chicken with refried black beans. Sqeeze a little lime over the chicken.
