WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: A take on the traditional Mexican entrée of chicken marinated with Seville oranges and annatto (a bright red seed with a subtle floral flavor), this dish features crispy-skinned chicken with an orange annatto glaze. Chicken thighs worked well in this recipe; their rich, meaty flavor stood up nicely to the tangy sauce. Using a heavy, weighted Dutch oven, we pressed the thighs flat against the skillet to ensure even and direct contact of the skin with the hot pan. This resulted in ultra-crisp, crunchy skin. As for the glaze, we complemented the annatto’s flavor with spicy and smoky chipotle chile in adobo, earthy oregano, citrusy coriander, and aromatic garlic. A little bit of lime juice added extra tang, and a dab of cornstarch thickened the glaze nicely. We reduced the glaze to concentrate the flavors and achieve the perfect consistency, then simply coated our crisp chicken thighs with the tangy, flavorful glaze.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 (5-to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
- Salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1½ cups orange juice (3 oranges)
- ¼ cup lime juice (2 limes)
- 2 tablespoons sugar, plus extra as needed
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
- 1½ teaspoons ground annatto
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Place several heavy cans inside Dutch oven. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place chicken skin side down in skillet. Place weighted Dutch oven on top of chicken and cook until skin is deep brown and very crisp, 16 to 20 minutes, checking browning after 10 minutes and adjusting heat as needed.
- Remove pot and flip chicken. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook (using splatter screen if necessary) until second side is well browned and chicken registers 175 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving platter.
- Whisk orange juice, lime juice, sugar, and cornstarch together in bowl. Pour off all but 2 teaspoons fat left in skillet. Add garlic, chipotle, annatto, coriander, and oregano and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in orange juice mixture. Increase heat to high and simmer, whisking often, until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet and turn to coat with sauce. Return chicken to platter. Transfer sauce to bowl and season with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Serve.
