This simple recipe for BBQ chicken with red recado has vibrant flavors from the recado and sour orange juice. If you can’t find fresh sour (Seville) oranges, bottled sour orange juice and sour orange marinades can be found in many supermarkets and specialty food stores.
Find red recado paste in a local Latin American market or make it yourself using the recipe below. This recipe for recado paste makes more than you’ll need, but is easily halved — or doubled, as it will keep for a year.
Ingredients
For the red recado paste:
- •900 g (2 pounds) fresh whole achiote (annatto) seeds*
- •83 g (1/2 cup) whole black peppercorns
- •68 g (1/2 cup) cumin seeds
- •28 g (1/4 cup) whole cloves
- •15 g (1/2 cup) dried oregano
- •40 g (1/4 cup) allspice berries
- •1 1/2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
- •Salt, to taste
For the BBQ chicken:
- •1.36 kg (3 pounds) chicken drumsticks or quarters
- •2 tablespoons red recado paste
- •2 tablespoons minced garlic
- •1 tablespoon onion powder
- •1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- •1 tablespoon ground cumin
- •1 tablespoon salt
- •1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- •1 tablespoon olive oil
- •Juice of 1 lime
- •240 ml (1 cup) sour orange juice
*Try to find whole achiote/annato seeds in their pods. To make the red recado paste, remove the fresh seeds from the pods and set them out until semi-dry.
Preparation
For the red recato paste: Grind the seeds in a spice grinder or in a mortar and pestle to medium. Mix the other ground spices with the annatto seeds in a bowl until well combined and roll the recado paste into tablespoon-sized balls, placing them into small plastic bags. Store in a container for up to a year.
For the BBQ chicken: In a large bowl, mix together the red recado paste, minced garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, salt, black pepper, olive oil, lime juice, and sour orange juice. Place the chicken in a bowl and coat evenly. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
To grill: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat; meanwhile, let the chicken to stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes before grilling.
Place the meat on the grill and cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until fully cooked, turning occasionally to ensure that it is evenly cooked on all sides. Remove the meat from the grill and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.