Baked Sour Orange Yucatan Chicken Food

SOUR ORANGE SPATCHCOCKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Zest one of the sour oranges and transfer the zest to a bowl. Cut the oranges into quarters and juice them over a glass measuring cup. Juice the lemon and lime over the measuring cup until you have about 3/4 cup of citrus juice. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the garlic, kosher salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and red pepper flakes. Add the sour orange juice mixture and whisk to combine. Stir in the chopped cilantro and olive oil.
• Flip the chicken onto the breast side so that the backbone is exposed. Use a pair of poultry sheers to cut out the back bone, going up either side of the spine of the chicken (not down the spine itself.) Save the back bone for stock.
• Flip the chicken over so that the breast side is facing up. Use the flat palm of your hand to press firmly on the chicken's breast until it breaks and you're able to flatten out the bird.
• Pour about half of the marinade into a glass baking dish. Place the chicken into the dish and make sure the inside of the chicken is in contact with the marinade. Arrange the chicken with breast side up and pour the remaining marinade over the bird. Rub the bird with the marinade to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12 hours or overnight, flipping the chicken once or twice during the marinating time.
• Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about an hour before you're cooking it, so that it comes to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 450°. Place a 10" cast iron skillet in the oven to heat.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. When the oven and pan are hot, use a pair of pot holders to CAREFULLY lift the pan and move it to the stove top. Place the chicken, breast side down into the pan and return to the oven. Roast for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, flip the chicken. Add the onions and potatoes and roll them around in the rendered chicken fat to coat. Arrange the onions and potatoes in a single layer around the chicken and continue cooking for 20 minutes or until chicken is done.
• Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to rest and continue to cook the potatoes and onions for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven. Transfer the potatoes to a serving platter.
• Place the skillet over a medium high heat. Add the vinegar and scrape up the fond from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth and continue to stir and scrape the pan to loosen any bits from the bottom. Stir in the chopped cilantro and transfer the jus to a bowl for serving.
• Carve the chicken and transfer to the serving platter with potatoes. Sprinkle with additional cilantro for garnish and serve with jus.

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.

SWEET ORANGE BAKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F. Cook rice as directed on package, omitting butter. Stir in almonds and butter.
• Spray 15x10x1-inch pan with cooking spray. Cut slit in each chicken breast to form a pocket. Spoon about 1/4 cup rice mixture into each pocket. Place chicken in pan; sprinkle evenly with salt.
• In small bowl, mix marmalade, honey, mustard and thyme until blended. Reserve 1/2 cup of mixture for serving. Brush remaining marmalade mixture over chicken.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (at least 165°F).
• Heat reserved marmalade mixture over medium heat and pour evenly over chicken.

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.