A few weeks ago I picked up 3 whole chickens for $0.64/lb at Fresh and Easy. It was such a great deal and I intended to make a freezer meal out of at least one or two of them. The third chicken, I had plans for a Mexican meal.
I searched the internet for a good pollo asado marinade but could not find anything that was close to my favorite offered at the local butcher. I came across the recipe for cumin and lime marinated chicken that had great reviews. I had most of the ingredients on hand so I decided to try it. Some recipes called for pureed kiwi to give it some sweetness. I’ve heard of people putting pineapple or orange juice in their marinade. I forgot to pick up a kiwi at the store but remembered I had some kiwi preserves in the fridge. Yes, it’s an unusual thing to have on hand but we’re adventurous eaters in this house.
I’m not much into measurements—I mostly do it by eye. So here’s what I put together, as best as I could get close to in actual measurements.
Marinade Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tbsp of kiwi puree or preserves (optional. You can try orange or pineapple juice or even a teaspoon of sugar might help.)
Mix all ingredients into a bowl.
Next step, prepare your chicken. I cut up a whole chicken – it was around 3 lbs. I was intimidated at first since I really didn’t know how to do it. So I consulted YouTube and found this video:
and ended up with this:
Seriously, YouTube is a great way to learn something new! My kitchen didn’t look like some mass carnage like I thought it would. I did as Mr. Knauer suggested and saved the bones and giblets for stock. They’re in my freezer waiting to be thrown into a pot.
I know we’re all looking out for our health but I highly suggest you keep the skin on. It will maintain the moisture when you grill it and will add loads of flavor.
Once I got all the pieces cut, I threw them in a bag along with the marinade and made sure the marinade coated all the pieces. Marinate at least 4 hours or overnight.
When you’re ready to cook, throw it on the grill. I started skin-side up. Logically thinking, I just thought that the skin would help keep the chicken moist when it drips into the meat. I’m no expert so you can do whatever works for you. If you have other suggestions, I’d like to hear it!
I waited until it was cooked most of the way and flipped it over until it was cooked through. I moved it to a cooler part of the grill if needed. Like I said, I’m no expert and most of the time I’m flying by the seat of my pants when cooking. It turned out just fine—and moist. I guess I better YouTube how to grill chicken… ha!
When it’s all done, shred your chicken or keep it in pieces. We ate this with corn tortillas, Mexican red rice, and black beans. It was delicious! The meat was moist and fragrant. The whole family ate it up. There were barely any leftovers for the chicken enchiladas I planned on making that week. Although it wasn’t the typical pollo asado flavor that I’m used to, this recipe is delicious and definitely a keeper.