Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 900 g bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 900 g bone-in skin-on chicken drumsticks
Chiles & Spices
- 15 g dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 15 g annatto seeds
- 2 g whole black peppercorns
- whole cloves
- 3 g ground cumin
- 2 g mexican oregano, dried
- 20 g garlic, peeled cloves
- 25 g kosher salt
Liquids
- 120 ml orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 60 ml lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 30 ml white vinegar
- 30 ml neutral oil
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Place a skillet over medium heat. Add the dried guajillo chiles, annatto seeds, black peppercorns, and cloves. Toast for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until highly fragrant. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes to hydrate the chiles and soften the seeds.
Drain the soaking liquid from the chiles and spices. Transfer the mixture to a blender. Add the ground cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic, kosher salt, orange juice, lime juice, white vinegar, and neutral oil. Blend on high until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Place the chicken thighs and drumsticks in a large mixing bowl. Pour the blended marinade over the chicken, massaging it thoroughly to ensure every piece is completely coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight. Wash your hands and all surfaces thoroughly after handling raw chicken to prevent cross-contamination.
Set up your grill for two-zone cooking by establishing a hot zone for direct heat and a cooler zone for indirect heat. The grill temperature should stabilize around 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit).
Using tongs, remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off. Place the chicken skin-side down on the hot, direct-heat side of the grill. Sear for 4 to 5 minutes until the skin is nicely charred and releases easily from the grates.
Flip the chicken pieces and immediately move them to the cooler, indirect-heat side of the grill. Cover the grill and cook for 25 to 30 minutes. Check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer. The chicken is safe to eat at 74 degrees Celsius (165 degrees Fahrenheit), but pushing dark meat to 80 degrees Celsius (175 degrees Fahrenheit) will result in more tender meat.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean platter. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving to allow the internal juices to stabilize and redistribute.
Chef's Notes
- Annatto seeds are naturally quite hard. If your blender struggles to pulverize them even after soaking, you can substitute an equal weight of high-quality achiote paste.
- Mexican oregano has a distinct, bright, and slightly citrusy flavor profile compared to Mediterranean oregano. If you cannot find it, marjoram is a closer substitute than Italian oregano.
- Dark meat chicken like thighs and drumsticks is technically safe at 74 degrees Celsius, but the dense connective tissues break down beautifully when pushed to 80 degrees Celsius, resulting in a much more tender bite.
- Always reserve a small amount of the fresh marinade if you want to baste the chicken while cooking. Never baste with the liquid that raw chicken has soaked in.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. Leftovers are excellent shredded for tacos.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze cooked chicken off the bone in a sealed bag or container.
Reheating: Reheat gently in an oven at 175 degrees Celsius loosely covered in foil to prevent drying out.
