Best 2 Chicken Pibil Recipes

CHICKEN PIBIL

Steps:

• In a blender combine Achiote paste, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Pour into a nonreactive baking pan, add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a heated, dry, cast iron skillet char onion slices until blackened on both sides. Remove and char tomato slices until blackened on both sides. Reserve. Cut six 16 x 14-inch sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Take banana leaves, and cut into 10-inch squares. Toast squares over a burner to soften, about 2 seconds on each side . Place banana leaves on top of each piece of foil. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving marinade, and place a piece on each foil piece or banana leaf. Top each with two tomato slices and one onion slice. Wrap and seal banana leaf and the foil to enclose. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, in saucepan melt butter. Saute the diced onions until golden brown. Stir in the reserved marinade and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and cook for 10 minutes longer. Reserve. When the chicken in ready, remove from oven and open the packets. Transfer the chicken, with the banana leaves if using, to serving plates. Pour any excess juice from the pan into the sauce. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

COCHINITA PIBIL

Steps:

• Score the fat of the pork, evenly salt the meat and set it aside while you make the marinade. In a dry saucepan over medium heat, toast the garlic cloves until they're charred all over, then remove. In the same pan, add cumin, peppercorns, allspice, red-chile powder, cloves and cinnamon. Toast until you can really smell the cumin and pepper. Grind spices, and mix in a food processor until smooth with the oregano, charred garlic, achiote paste, all the citrus zest and about half the juice.
• Place two overlapping banana leaves on your work surface, and put the pork at the center. Rub the spice paste all over the meat, arrange the sliced white onion on top and roll the whole thing up, folding the sides like wrapping paper. (If it unravels, tie it closed with some kitchen twine.) Set the parcel in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight.
• Heat oven to 300. Put the parcel on a rack, or a ring of scrunched-up aluminum foil, inside a heavy pot with a half cup of water at the bottom. Bake with the lid on until the meat is very tender and yields easily to a fork, about 4 hours. Meanwhile, mix the chopped red onion with remaining citrus juices, salt and habanero, and set aside.
• While the meat is still warm, carefully transfer the parcel to a serving dish. Use a fork to shred the meat, spoon over the cooking juices and mix well. Serve with pickled onions, warmed tortillas and halved limes.