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Pollo Adobado

A delicous and flavor packed roasted chicken traditional in Guatemalan and Mexican cuisines. A rich, thick marinade made from chilies, spices, and aromatics brines and tenderizes the chicken. Roasting at a high heat allows for the skin to crisp up, while rendering juicy, flavorful meat that falls off the bone. Enjoy on fresh tortillas with a sprinkle of lime and salt.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes

Equipment

  • Blender
  • Sheetpan
  • Small Sauce Pot
  • Brush
  • Kitchen Shears

Ingredients
  

Adobo Sauce

  • 2 Dried Guajillo Peppers Seeds and stem removed
  • 1 Large Onion Quartered
  • 4 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 1 Tbsp Cumin
  • 1 Tsp Dried Oregano
  • 1.5 TBSP Coarse Kosher Salt Plus more to taste
  • 2 Limes Juiced
  • 1 Tbsp Achiote Paste See notes below
  • 1 C Water

Chicken

  • 1 Whole Chicken Spatchcocked (back bone removed)
  • 2 Red Onions Sliced

Adobo Baste

  • 1 Tbsp Adobo Sauce
  • 1 Tbsp Coarse Kosher Salt
  • 3 Tbsp Avocado Oil Or other high heat oil like grapeseed or canola

Instructions
 

Adobo Sauce (can be made up to a day in advance)

  • Add all your ingredients except for the lime juice to a small sauce pot and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and cover to steam for another 5 minutes. Add the contents (removing the bay leaves) to a blender and blend until smooth. Add in the lime juice and adjust the salt to your liking. Allow to cool and set aside. If making the marinade ahead of time store in the fridge in an air tight container.

Marinating

  • After you have spatchcocked your chicken (removing the backbone with kitchen shears), place it on a baking sheetpan and pat it completely dry. Begin spooning on the marinade. Spoon marinade under the chicken, and under the skin as able. You want your chicken to be mostly covered in the marinade, while reserving some for dipping and basting. Once your chicken is covered in the adobo sauce, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours, and up to 6. Because this is a very acidic marinade, it will take less time to tenderize the meat. You still want to give the sauce at least the three hours to penetrade flavor, as a whole chicken is a big cut of meat.

Basting + Roasting

  • Preheat oven to 450F, at the same time, take the chicken out of the fridge so it can come closer to room temperature before cooking (this gives you a more even cook). Slice your red onions and add to the sheetpan with the chicken, arranging all the way around the bird. Using a pastry or bbq brush, brush excess marinade off the chicken and onto the onions. I know this seems counter-intuitive. We marinate so that flavor can penetrate the bird, so the flavor is there. If we have too much of it while it cooks though, the skin won't crisp up.
  • In a small bowl combine all the basting ingredients and brush onto the chicken right before roasting. This is the last little infusion of flavor we're adding to the chicken before it cooks. Once you've covered the chicken in the oil basting mixture, place the sheetpan in the oven. Roast for about 40-50 minutes, checking the chicken at the 35 minute mark to make sure it isn't browning too quickly. If char is developing, reduce the heat to 435, and finish cooking at that temperature until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads at least 160F. Rest for 10 minutes, carve, and enjoy!