Achiote paste is
a popular blend of spices commonly used in Mexico, mainly in the Yucatan. The blend
is usually made with annato and can include spices like cumin, clove, allspice, Mexican oregano, salt, pepper and garlic. The
annato seed gives food a beautiful red color and all the spices combined add an
extreme burst of flavor to your dishes. You dilute the spice in olive oil, any citrus or vinegar for a marinade or use alone. Goes perfect on any meat or seafood but also great to
spice up a rice, stew or soup. You can make your own or buy it premade at your
local Mexican market. Today, I marinated chicken breast with the achiote, grilled it and chopped it up for a delicious Mexican style chicken salad. This same salad can be made with shrimp. Hope you enjoy!
Serves 4-8
Ingredients
2 lbs or 4 med sized chicken breasts
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 15 oz can of black beans
1 cup of grilled corn
1 1/2 cups red onion, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, minced
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tbsp hot sauce such as Tapatio
Lime for garnish
Achiote Marinade
25 grams of an achiote paste such as El Yucateco
(can be purchased at your local Mexican market)
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Achiote Grilled Chicken
In a large bowl, dilute 25 grams of achiote paste in the olive oil, lemon or lime juice. Use a fork to help break it up then add the salt and pepper and mix. Put the chicken in the same bowl and then mix to coat completely with the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat a grill pan, gas or charcoal grill on high. Grill the chicken 4-6 minutes on each side until fully cooked then set aside to rest. Let the chicken cool completely then dice.
In a large bowl, add diced chicken, tomatoes, black beans, grilled corn, red onion, cilantro, lemon or lime, salt and hot sauce, then toss well. Serve right away or refrigerate for an hour more so the flavors marry. Garnish with lime.
This Salad can be eaten alone, on a tostada shell, on top of chopped lettuce or cabbage, in a lettuce cup or add a little mayo to some of the salad and put it in a bollio bread (can be purchased in your local Mexican super market) and eat it as a Grilled Achiote Chicken salad Torta.
Enjoy!
Note:
Achiote can stain, so its best to use gloves and wear an apron if you have one. Also, when grilling anything with achiote, it will tend to smoke a bit so open a window and use your exhaust fan. =)
Quick Tip:
Need grilled corn but dont want to put a whole cob on a grill? Heat a cast iron or non stick pan on high, no oil, then throw in your frozen corn, turn heat down to medium high heat and cook until corn has charred to your liking. =)
1 15 oz can of black beans
1 cup of grilled corn
1 1/2 cups red onion, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, minced
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tbsp hot sauce such as Tapatio
Lime for garnish
Achiote Marinade
25 grams of an achiote paste such as El Yucateco
(can be purchased at your local Mexican market)
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
In a large bowl, dilute 25 grams of achiote paste in the olive oil, lemon or lime juice. Use a fork to help break it up then add the salt and pepper and mix. Put the chicken in the same bowl and then mix to coat completely with the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat a grill pan, gas or charcoal grill on high. Grill the chicken 4-6 minutes on each side until fully cooked then set aside to rest. Let the chicken cool completely then dice.
In a large bowl, add diced chicken, tomatoes, black beans, grilled corn, red onion, cilantro, lemon or lime, salt and hot sauce, then toss well. Serve right away or refrigerate for an hour more so the flavors marry. Garnish with lime.
This Salad can be eaten alone, on a tostada shell, on top of chopped lettuce or cabbage, in a lettuce cup or add a little mayo to some of the salad and put it in a bollio bread (can be purchased in your local Mexican super market) and eat it as a Grilled Achiote Chicken salad Torta.
Enjoy!
Note:
Achiote can stain, so its best to use gloves and wear an apron if you have one. Also, when grilling anything with achiote, it will tend to smoke a bit so open a window and use your exhaust fan. =)
Quick Tip:
Need grilled corn but dont want to put a whole cob on a grill? Heat a cast iron or non stick pan on high, no oil, then throw in your frozen corn, turn heat down to medium high heat and cook until corn has charred to your liking. =)
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