Rotisserie Achiote Chicken
For our first cook on our new JoeTisserie, we decided to take it South of the border and grill up a Rotisserie Achiote Chicken!
Things to know:
What is achiote?
Annatto, from the seeds of the achiote tree, is a natural food coloring and flavoring used globally, especially in Latin American, Caribbean, and Filipino cuisine, to impart a yellow-to-red hue and an earthy, slightly peppery taste. It’s used in pastes, oils, and powders to color dishes like yellow rice, cheeses, and stews, and is valued as a natural alternative to artificial dyes in processed foods like butter, margarine, and snacks.
What is the flavor of achiote?
Achiote (annatto) has a subtle, earthy, and slightly peppery flavor with mild nutty or bitter notes. While often used for its vibrant orange-red color, it imparts a warm, mild taste—frequently described as slightly smoky or minty—rather than high heat. It is frequently used in pastes with spices like cumin and garlic.
Is achiote the same as paprika?
No, achiote is not the same as paprika. While both are used to add vibrant red-orange color to food, they come from different plants, have different flavors, and are not directly interchangeable without adjusting other spices. Achiote is milder and earthy, while paprika can range from sweet to smoky or spicy.
What is another name for achiote?
Achiote (Bixa orellana) is most commonly known as annatto, but it is also called bija, urucum (or urucu), roucou, and achuete. Derived from the seeds of the lipstick tree, this spice/dye is used for its bright orange-red color and peppery, earthy flavor, sometimes nicknamed the “lipstick tree” plant.
What is rotisserie chicken?
Rotisserie chicken is a popular, convenient, and flavorful dish cooked by roasting a whole chicken on a spit near a direct heat source, typically in an oven, grill, or specialized rotisserie machine. It provides a juicy, tender interior and crispy, seasoned skin, often involving spices like paprika, garlic powder, thyme, and salt.
Ingredients:
2 whole chickens
For the injection:
1 stick of butter
2 T achiote oil
4 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
For the rub:
Spiceology’s Smoked Chipotle Mezcal
1. The night before, remove the chicken from the packaging and remove any yucky bits from the interior cavity.
2. Apply coarse sea salt to the skin of the bird on all sides.
3. Place the chickens on a wire rack in a baking sheet and chuck them into the refrigerator or a cooler with ice.
4. Fire up your grill. You do not want the fuel directly below the rotisserie spit to prevent burning during flare ups. Also, for extra flavor, you have the option of burying a chunk or two of wood. We chose cherry.
5. Make your injection sauce by melting the butter and adding the achiote oil and garlic cloves.
6. Place the chicken onto the rotisserie spit. Ensure you get one side of the forks positioned to where you want the birds ahead of time because it is a giant pain to move them when the birds are on. PRO TIP: If you are doing 2 chicken, point the legs towards the center. The fire will be hotter there and dark meat can be cooked to a higher temperature and still be juicy than the breasts can.
7. Inject the birds.
8. For more flavor, spray them first lightly with the Achiote oil. This will provide a binder for the rub, add flavor to the chicken and give the birds some good color.
9. Apply salt and pepper then the achiote, then the Smoked Chipotle Mezcal to the outside of the birds.
10. When your grill is at a stable temperature of 300-325F, place the spit on the grill, then shut the lid.
11. When you hit an internal temperature of 150F in the breasts, open the lid to provide more oxygen to your fire to crisp up the skin. (This took us about 50 minutes.)
12. Once you hit 160F in the breasts, remove the spit from the grill, remove the birds from the spit, loosely tent them with foil and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes.
13. Carve up your birds, serve and ENJOY!
Equipment used:
Kamado Joe Big Joe Series III 24-inch Ceramic Charcoal Grill and Smoker with Premium Cart
Starfrit The Rock Electric Multi Pot – 4.5L
Oil Dispenser for Kitchen, 2 in 1 Olive Oil Sprayer
Kamado Joe JoeTisserie Rotisserie Accessory Attachment for 24-inch Big Joe Grills
Meat Injector Marinade Gun Stainless Steel
ThermoPro TempSpike Plus: 600FT Wireless Meat Thermometer Bluetooth
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