ACHIOTE AND BLOOD ORANGE ROTISSERIE CHICKEN from Greensbury.com

While I’ve always been known for southern-style BBQ and cuisine, I have been working on a new cookbook. As part of that, I’ve been using quite a few lesser known ingredients in my cooking (well, at least lesser known in Mississippi!) Achiote is a spice that is used quite often in Mexican and Caribbean cuisine, and this Achiote and Blood Orange Chicken takes full advantage of the wonderfully earthy flavor of it.

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WHAT IS ACHIOTE? Achiote, also known as annatto, has a mild earthy, peppery flavor, and is often used to color dishes. I love it on chicken because it adds a depth of flavor and a beautiful color. You can find Achiote in either a paste or liquid form at any mexican food market, or the new world market, Amazon (where I get almost all of my esoteric ingredients!) To me, it reminds me of the flavors of an adobo sauce. It adds a bit of savoriness or umami to this recipe.

FIRE UP THE ROTISSERIE! I cooked this achiote and blood orange chicken on an Arteflame! If you haven’t seen them, check them out on their website. They look really great on a patio and are super fun to cook on, especially with a group of friends. This can easily be cooked on any rotisserie grill, but it’s so much more fun with big flames!

For this recipe, I had Lindsay “Mama” O’Neill over, and we filmed it (please watch and like the video!) We used Greensbury Farms Organic Whole Chickens, and I will tell you they were fabulous!

This is actually a simple recipe, though the marinade does need at least 12 hours to work it’s magic (24 hours is better!) Helpful hint- truss your chicken before placing it in the marinade. You will save yourself a large mess!

The Greensbury chickens average 3-4 lbs, so they’re a perfect size for a rotisserie. If you get larger ones, you may need to adjust the heat in order cook it properly. Allow around 20 minutes per pound on a wood-flame rotisserie (I kept the flames rolling!). Enjoy! ~Melissa

Marinade recipe

• ½ cup achiote sauce

• juice from 4 blood oranges

• 1 jalapeno (seeded if you want to cut down on the heat)

• 1 TBS kosher salt

• ½ TBS course ground black pepper

• juice from 1 lime

• 1 cup chopped cilantro

• 4 cloves garlic

Let’s get cookin’

• Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until well mixed.

• Take whole chicken and remove any extra fat or skin. Add to a large re-sealable bag. Pour in marinade, then press out as much air as possible. Seal bag and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.

• Remove chicken from bag, allowing any excess marinade to drain.

• Place chicken on rotisserie spit and secure. Over medium high flames, cook chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 170 to 175 degrees in the thigh. This should take around 30 minutes per pound, depending on the size of your fire. Cover with foil if skin is getting too dark. Remove from rotisserie and allow to rest for 10 minutes to allow juices to redistribute. Carve and serve.

THIS, AND MORE RECIPES… MELISSACOOKSTON.COM