Yucatan Chicken Recipes

GRILLED YUCATAN CHICKEN SKEWERS

Steps:

• Skewer each half chicken thigh with 2 skewers so that they lay flat. Place the chicken in a large shallow baking dish.
• Whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, oil, chili powder, and garlic. Pour over the thighs and marinate in the refrigerator 1 to 4 hours.
• Prepare a charcoal grill to high heat.
• Remove the thighs from the marinade and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the thighs directly over the coals and cook until each side becomes golden brown and slightly charred, about 4 minutes per side. Turn, cover the grill and cook for another few minutes until tender.
• Remove from the grill and let rest 5 minutes. Cut the thighs directly down the center creating 2 skewers. Remove the chicken from the skewers and serve garnished with scallions and lime wedges.

YUCATAN-STYLE CHICKEN, LIME, AND ORZO SOUP

Steps:

• Cook orzo in pot of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain well.
• Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and chiles. Sauté until onion begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add chicken; sauté 1 minute. Add broth, lime juice, and tomato. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Mix in orzo, then chopped cilantro. Season soup with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into 4 bowls. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

CHICKEN YUCATAN

Steps:

• Cut the chicken into slices 1/8-1/4" thick. Marinate in a mixture of garlic, oregano, cumin, orange juice, vinegar, and hot sauce. Allow to marinate 10 minutes up to 24 hours, covered in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, chop vegetables.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil and heat 30 seconds; add chicken and stir fry about 3-4 minutes.
• Add onions and peppers and stir fry another 1-2 minutes, or until chicken is completely opaque. Add tomato and ground pepper and cook just until heated through.
• Serve over brown rice with a side salad.

EASY YUCATAN CHICKEN (SHRIMP RECIPE INCLUDED)

Steps:

• For Marinade: In the blender, combine all of the ingredients for the marinade. Blend until smooth. Taste for salt and set aside.
• For Chicken: After you pound out the chicken, season it lightly with salt and pepper on both sides. Place into a large plastic storage bag and pour in the marinade. Place in refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 hour.
• When ready to cook chicken, remove from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before. Shake off excess marinade and place onto plate.
• Preheat stove stop grill pan at medium heat for 6-7 minutes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil like grapeseed or canola. Grill the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, tent and let rest for 5 minutes.
• For Shrimp: After cleaning shrimp, transfer to a bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour in the marinade and let sit for 20 minutes.
• Add 3 tablespoons oil oil to cast iron pan and preheat to medium for 4-5 minutes. Shake off excess marinade from shrimp as you place it into the cast iron pan. Reserve marinade.
• Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan onto a clean plate. To the pan add the reserved used marinade , minced garlic and 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter. As soon as butter melts, add in the beer. Stir well to combine and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour sauce over shrimp. Serve right away.

YUCATáN CHICKEN WITH ACHIOTE

Steps:

• Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch-wide strips. In a large bowl, mix together the orange juice, oregano, garlic, chile, achiote paste, salt, pepper, allspice, and olive oil to make the marinade. Add the chicken strips to the mixture and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• To cook the chicken, remove the strips from the marinade and drain off any excess liquid. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the chicken strips, turning once or twice, until thoroughly cooked (cut one to test), about 9 minutes total.
• Remove from the heat, squeeze fresh lime juice over the strips, and serve immediately or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.
• To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with salsa and pickled onions. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with salsa and pickled onions, fold, and eat right away.

YUCATAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Blend marinade ingredients in a food processor until the mixture is thick. Pour into a sealable plastic bag, add the chicken and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Barbeque with marinade on chicken, being careful not to burn the chicken as it cooks. Watch closely. The finished chicken will have nice orange red color.