Achiote Chicken

Easy to make achiote chicken with a tangy, earthy, and unique flavour thanks to the achiote which goes extraordinarily well with the creme fraiche and chiles chipotle.

Print Pin

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: ethnic, latin american, Mexican

Keyword: earthy, main dish, tangy

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings: people

Calories: 230kcal

Author: Ana Jimenez

Equipment

1 Pot
1 pan or skillet
1 blender

Ingredients

2 tomatoes, stems removed about 280 grams
220 grams cauliflower florets
15 grams achiote paste or ground
2 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon cumin ground
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
350 grams chicken, bite-size diced
3 tablespoon creme fraîche
2 teaspoon Salt, keep divided
Ice cold water
Tortillas
Red pickled onions optional
Fried beans optional

Metric - Us Customary

SAVE THIS RECIPE!

Enter your email below and we'll send this recipe to your inbox. Plus, get new recipes from me as soon as posted.

Instructions

To a pot at medium to high heat, add in the tomatoes. Cook until soft and skin starts to peel off, approximately 5-6 mins. Remove from pot and wait until cold enough to touch. Peel off the tomatoes skin and set aside.
In the same pot with warm water, add in the cauliflower florets and cook until you pinch through them with a knife and it goes right through the cauliflower florets with only a bit of resistance, approximately 6 minutes.
Place the cauliflower florets in ice cold water to cut down the cooking process. Leave for only 2 minutes, remove from ice cold water and set aside.
To a blender, add in the tomatoes, achiote, garlic cloves, sugar, oregano, cumin, chipotle, and salt (1 teaspoon). Blend well as we are not straining.
To a warm pan or skillet, add in the vegetable oil. Incorporate the chicken, add in the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 5 minutes until medium cooked. Incorporate the sauce. Cook for 10 more minutes.
Add in the cauliflower florets to the pan and mix in to combine.
In a small container, mix in the creme fraiche with 2 tablespoons of the warm sauce and add in to the pan. Mix to combine. Bring back to a boil.
Taste for salt. Turn off the heat.
Warm up your tortillas. Fill them with the achiote chicken filling. Top it up with some red pickled onions and fried beans on the side.

Notes

FREEZING

Place in an airtight container or a ziplog bag. Should last for 2 months. Thaw and then reheat.

STORING AND REHEATING

Store in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for 4 days. Reheat in the stove or in the microwave.

SUBSTITUTIONS

You can susbstitute the cauliflower with other vegetables, such as broccoli or mushrooms. If adding in mushrooms, incorporate them right before the chicken, cook them for 5 mins and then add in the chicken.

Some recipes call for substituting the achiote with saffron, but I don't recommend that as they impart different flavours.

You can substitute the chicken with meat or pork, if you prefer.

BEST TO EAT WITH...

Eat it as a taco with pickled red onions and fried beans as I suggest. You can also eat with just rice and fried beans on the side.

Nutrition