What’s the difference between an adobo and a recado? For me, they are pretty much the same thing. Sometimes vinegar or citrus is added, but that depends on the cook. Recados and adobos are used to flavor different cuts of meat and seafood. The finish can be like a paste, marinade or even like a sauce. It really depends on the cook or the type of recipe that is being prepared.
Make Something Old New Again!
This adobo rojo or recado recipe I developed originally for my oven roasted beer can chicken. It’s delicious! I found myself with this oversized roaster and decided to spatchcock(butterfly) the chicken for a faster roast time in the oven. My only suggestion would be that if you have time to brine the chicken for 24 hours, that will add a lot more flavor to the chicken all the way through. That’s what salsa is for though! Lol! You can prepare this recipe with individual chicken pieces as well.
Keep A Well Stocked Pantry!
Not counting salt and pepper, the essential spices I have on hand at all times are, garlic powder, cumin seeds, oregano, thyme, marjoram, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, anise and all kinds of dried chiles. Not in huge quantities, but enough.
Leg or Thigh?
Adobo Rojo-Red Adobo
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- wire rack to cover baking sheet
- Blender
Ingredients
- 2 large oranges juiced
- 2 large limes juiced
- 3-4 cloves of garlic peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 1/2 oz achiote paste
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp chile de arbol powder, optional
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper, plus more to season chicken
- 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more to drizzle onto whole chicken
- Salt to taste
- 5 1/2-6 lbs roaster whole chicken
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with foil paper then lay wire rack on top. Set aside.
- To the blender, add orange juice, lime juice, garlic, achiote paste, cumin, oregano, chile de arbol powder, fresh cracked pepper, 1/3 c oil and salt to taste. Blend on high until smooth. Set aside.
- After washing the chicken, transfer to a sturdy cutting board. You are going to spatchcock the chicken or butterfly it open. Using kitchen scissors, carefully cut the backbone from whole chicken. Place cut side down onto board and apply a good amount of pressure between the chicken breast to flatten the chicken further.
- Drizzle entire chicken lightly with olive oil, then season(to taste) with salt and pepper on both sides. Generously coat chicken, on both sides with adobo(recado) and place cut side down onto a baking sheet lined with the wire rack. You may not need all of the adobo. It can be refrigerated or frozen for use in another recipe. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- When ready place seasoned chicken on middle rack in the oven. The chicken will roughly roast for 1 hour or until the internal temperature of the deepest part of the breast near the bone reaches 150 degrees F. Thigh meat should read 165 degrees F.
- When ready, remove from oven and let chicken rest at least 20 minutes before transferring to cutting board to slice. Serve right away with your favorite salsa and warm tortillas!
Notes
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Ojos de aguila here….I noticed in the last pic lower right corner some cilantro on a cutting board. Is that just for serving or an ingredient in the adobo? Sorry I can’t unsee it….it’s just the way I am! LOL
The chicken looks absolutely delish & will definitely make this. I am a huge fan! Gracias y Brazos, Sonia!
The cilantro was just to add some color to the photos I was taking that day. Good eye!
My adobe does not appear to be as thick as what you coated your chicken with. I followed the recipe closely, and actually did a dry brine overnight prior to applying the adobe and roasting. The sauce was running off of the chicken into the baking sheet/foil. Could I have done something wrong? Thank you for the recipe.
I am not sure why it would run off. That’s funny. I even coated mine with seasonings and olive oil. If it’s too runny, I would just add less fresh juice from the citrus. The only thing I could think of is that maybe your citrus had more juice than the ones I used in my recipe that day. Technically, since I didn’t measure out the amount of juice that was actually added. I would just squeeze the citrus separately and gradually mix in enough until it was easy to blend. Thank you for your feedback.