Achiote Chicken

If you've never cooked with achiote paste, you're in for a treat! This roasted achiote chicken is juicy, tender, citrusy and packed with rich Mexican flavours from a homemade achiote paste. You can easily purchase them online, but it is so much better when made at home, as you can use fresher ingredients and control everything that goes into it.
Achiote paste is a popular seasoning widely used in Mexican, Central American, and Caribbean cuisines. It’s made with annatto seeds, garlic, oregano, spices, optional chillies, and citrus juice. Known for their distinctive red colour, earthy, zesty flavour, they are excellent as a marinade for meat. Store the prepared paste in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

Achiote Paste	Chicken
30 g Annatto seeds ©angiesrecipes 1 tsp Cumin seeds 2 tsp Coriander seeds 3-4 Cloves 5 Allspice berries 1½ tsp Black peppercorns 2 tsp Dried oregano 5 Garlic cloves, peeled 1 Habanero chilli, optional 1 tsp Sea salt Juice of 1 orange Juice of 2 limes	1.5-1.8 kg Bone in skin on chicken legs, patted dry 500 g Green beans, trimmed 80 g Butter (or Chicken schmaltz), melted 1-2 Limes, sliced Fresh cilantro

For the achiote paste, add the annatto seeds, cumin, coriander, cloves, all-spice berries, and peppercorns to a large skillet and cook over low to medium heat for a few minutes until aromatic, stirring frequently. Transfer the spices to a spice grinder and grind them until they become powder. Transfer to a food processor and add the garlic, chilli if using, sea salt, juices and process until you have a thick paste. You can make this achiote paste up to 1-2 weeks ahead.
Rub the chicken legs evenly and thoroughly with the prepared achiote paste. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least a couple of hours or up to overnight in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 220C/430F. Toss the green beans with half of melted butter or chicken schmaltz and season well. Spread the green beans in a large baking dish and top with chicken legs. Spoon the remaining butter or chicken schmaltz over the chicken. Roast for 40-50 minutes until deep golden and cooked through. Serve with slices of lime and fresh coriander.

31 comments:

Brian's Home Blog 2/6/26 01:54: I can almost taste those wonderful flavors!
Ruby Rose and the Big Little Angels 3 2/6/26 05:41: I can imagine how good that tastes
Tandy (Lavender and Lime) 2/6/26 05:50: I'm going to try make this achiote paste at home for sure.
Modrina Neba - Blue Sky 2/6/26 05:59: I love white chicken meat made in all forms and ways possible. Wishing you a nice Tuesday, Hugs, Andreja
Linda's Relaxing Lair 2/6/26 06:15: This looks delicious 😋
Anonymous 2/6/26 06:45: Yummy-Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
Stefania 2/6/26 08:22: 😋😋😋 che delizia.
È molto invitante
Margaret D 2/6/26 09:02: That chicken does look interesting, Angie also nice.
eileeninmd 2/6/26 10:28: Hello,
The chicken looks delicious, thanks for sharing.
Happy June! Take care, enjoy your day! Happy week ahead!
Lola Martínez 2/6/26 10:56: La carne se ve divina con ese tostado que presenta, lo único que no soy de comida muy picante, pero si no se nota mucho, sí que me gustaría probarla.
Ananka 2/6/26 11:02: Looks good :-D
DEZMOND 2/6/26 11:33: Can I replace chicken legs with dinosaur legs in this recipe?
David M. Gascoigne, 2/6/26 12:06: What time’s dinner? I’ll bring wine.
Tom 2/6/26 12:44: ...and I had never heard of achiote paste, I had to look it up. A spicy treat!
speedy70 2/6/26 13:10: Invitante e gustoso il tuo pollo!!!!
Lori 2/6/26 18:19: I haven't had this in a few years, and it is making me so hungry looking at yours. It looks amazing.
Granny Sue 2/6/26 19:17: That is such an interesting recipe, Angie. A bit too spicy for my tame palette, I'm afraid 😀
Ben | Havocinthekitchen 2/6/26 22:00: What a beautiful dish, Angie! The achiote adds such a gorgeous colour, and the chicken looks wonderfully juicy and flavourful.
Hena Tayeb 2/6/26 23:28: This looks delicious.
J.P. Alexander 3/6/26 00:49: Gracias por la receta. Te mando un beso.
foodtravelandwine 3/6/26 01:34: What a great recipe!! I love achiote!!.....Abrazotes, Marcela
My name is Erika. 3/6/26 02:19: This chicken dish looks tasty. And beautiful in the photos. It might be a bit hot for me, but I'd still try it. Happy June to you!
Recetas al instante 3/6/26 08:03: Looks really yummy
U zvijezdama piše 3/6/26 14:10: Njam, njam
Fino
Fran @ G'day Souffle' 3/6/26 17:05: Wow! You're certainly ambitious to make your own achiote paste! I live in Southern California so the paste is readily available in supermarkets. I note that your recipe can include habanero chiles. Those chiles are so hot I would probably have to leave those out!
Pam 3/6/26 19:59: Yum! The achiote paste sounds flavorful & delicious. I'm sure this chicken was so tasty & juicy.
Garfield 3/6/26 21:03: O frango está delicioso, e essa pele crocante parece apetitosa. rsrsrsrs

Nova Tirinha Publicada. 😼

Abraços 🐾 Garfield Tirinhas Oficial.
Frank | Memorie di Angelina 3/6/26 21:46: I do cook with achiote from time to time, but I've never tried this dish. But I'm definitely going to do that soon. I know this would be a big hit around this house.
Lowcarb team member 5/6/26 00:05: Many thanks for another delicious looking recipe.

All the best Jan
Raymund | angsarap.net 5/6/26 01:19: This achiote chicken looks absolutely stunning , that deep red colour alone tells you it’s going to be packed with flavour.
Cocoa and Lavender 5/6/26 20:52: Being so close to México, I have all the ingredienst to make this. I love achiote -- it has such a unique flavor!