Mexican Roadside Grilled Chicken

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Imagine the sight and aroma of loads of fresh chickens being grilled over hot charcoals all at the same time.  This I have experienced in any city, town or village in Mexico that I have been to or passed through. This chicken always tastes flavorful and succulent whether from the rotisserie or grill; accompanied with salsa takes it over the top.  I’ve been grilling  many years, but this is the first time I prepared a Mexican style chicken.

So it’s a lovely sunny Sunday, a perfect day to gather the family for a grilled dinner.  I’m at my grill monitoring the chicken and my daughters begin recalling the incredible “pollo asado al carbon” (charcoal grilled chicken) from Ajijic, Mexico on the shore of lake Chapala.  They were kids when we made our annual stays in the village of Ajijic and they still remember the “pollo asado”.  This Sunday discussion lit up  our taste buds to make us believe we were tasting that Sunday pollo asado in Ajicic.

Guillermo, was his name, the guy who prepared chickens in front of his tiny bodega in Ajijic.  He once offered to sell me the business saying it included the “secret recipe”.  My recipe is citrusy and it turned out so good I can’t longer keep it secret.  Let’s get started.

Ingredients

Serves 8

2  3+ lb. whole chickens

1 ½ cups orange juice (~ 3 oranges)

½ cup fresh lime juice (~ 4 limes)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

4 cloves garlic roughly chopped

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely diced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely diced

1 tablespoon red chile powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon salt

Optional garnish

4 medium size ripe tomatoes cut in half, horizontally

Chile guero salsa

Preparation

Chicken Marination

Trim excess skin and fat from the neck and tail.  Flip the chicken onto its breast.  Using poultry shears, cut down through the backbone from tail to neck, staying as near as possible to the center of the bone (to keep the skin attached). Press down on the breast to flatten the bird as much as possible and rinse with water.

Mix all liquid and dry ingredients in a bowl. Place each chicken in a glass or ceramic baking dish and cover with equal amounts of marinade.  Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator 6 to 24 hours.

Tomatoes

On a dish or tray, place each tomato-half cut side up and drizzle with olive oil and salt.

20 minutes before the chicken is cooked, grill each tomato cut side down until charred black.  Turn and cook the other side for 10 minutes.  Plate along side the cut chicken.

Grilling

If you grill on charcoal, light and burn it until it’s white ash; bank the coals to one side.  If you use a gas grill heat the outer burners to medium/high and leave the center burner(s) off.  Sear the chickens over direct heat for about 4-5 minutes each side then move and place them breast side up to the area of the grill reserved for indirect heat.  Cook at 325 degrees of grill temperature, without turning, for 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 160 degrees .  Baste from time to time with the remaining marinade.

Remove the chicken to a cutting board and cover with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting it in pieces. Plate on a serving dish and accompany with a salsa of your choice.

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