Chicken Pibil is a recipe inspired by the famous cochinita pibil, a Yucatan cuisine, and a favorite dish to enjoy for dinner or a special celebration. The Yucatan-style chicken is not spicy yet citrusy and smoky with a complex flavor yet so comforting. The red sauce comes from the achiote paste.
Pibil is the name of the cooking technique that uses banana leaves and a “pib” (underground dirt and stone oven) to bake the meat to perfection. For the chicken pibil recipe, we used an Instant Pot and chose skinless chicken thighs.
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The Yucatan peninsula is a southeastern state in Mexico, and its location separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. This state is well known for its vast culture, prehispanic sites, and fabulous food. I particularly love the array of condiments and European flavors combined with Mexican food flavors.
The Yucatan cuisine has French, Cuban, and creole influences. Techniques like “papillote” (a moist-heat cooking method where the food is enclosed in a packet of parchment paper, aluminum foil, or banana leaves), the “ceviche” pickling method, and the annatto condiment are prevalent in many Yucatecan dishes. The recipe I am sharing today is Chicken Pibil, or Pollo Pibil, made with achiote, one of my favorite condiments.
What is achiote or achote?
Achiote is a plant from the bixaceae family that is native to Central America and Mexico. The pant is also called “lipstick tree.” Achiote or achote comes from Nahuatl achiotl, which means red dye. The plant grows as a bulb that looks like a hairy red capsule and, when ripe (changing to a woody brown color), has annatto seeds inside.
The color of the seeds is deep red, and in the city of Yaxunah, Yucatan, the locals grind the seeds and combine them with spices such as oregano, cumin, black pepper, garlic, and smoked dried habanero. This mix is formed by hand into a small red brick, sundried, and wrapped in banana leaves.
The achiote paste mixed with bitter orange juice becomes an achiote marinade that in Yucatan is called a recado rojo, “red condiment.” And this is what we use for the chicken pibil and the cochinita.
Prehispanic civilizations used the achiote as a coloring agent, not only for cooking. The red color is prevalent in pots, clothing, paintings, and interiors; when working with annatto products or seeds, use an apron and gloves as it stains permanently.
The annatto seeds make a delicious infused oil too. Add two cups of corn, grapeseed, or olive oil to a pot. Mix in half a cup of annatto seeds. Place the pot on the stove and warm the oil at a low flame. Stir from time to time. Do not allow the oil to burn. After 10 minutes, the induced annatto oil is ready. Pour into a bottle and use it for making Puerto Rican rice, paella, tamales, and Caribbean casseroles.
How to make homemade achiote paste for chicken pibil and more?
Making homemade achiote with no spices is simple, but the secret is to soak the whole annatto seeds the night before in water or use ground annatto powder. You need 1 cup of annatto seeds, 1 smoked dried habanero (optional), and 4 cups water. For taste and preservation, 1/4 cup of vinegar, 1 tablespoon lard or vegetable shortening, and 2 tablespoons sea salt. Below is the method on how to make it.
- Soak the annatto seeds in the water overnight. Cover with plastic.
- Pour the soaked seeds and the water into a clay pot, add the smoked dried habanero and cook for 1 hour at medium heat, constantly stirring.
- When the liquid has reduced, remove the clay pot from the heat.
- Use a strainer to separate the seeds from the cooking liquid. Keep the water, do not discard it.
- Add the cooked annatto seeds to the blender and incorporate 1-2 cups of the cooking water for blending.
- Blend until getting a thick paste. Pour the paste into the clay pot and add apple cider vinegar, lard or vegetable shortening, and sea salt. Stir to mix and store the homemade achiote paste in a glass container with a lid.
- For more authentic achiote, cover the inside of the glass container with banana leaves and add the paste inside, wrap and cover it. Keep refrigerated. It will last up to 6 months when properly stored.
- This is the base for the chicken pibil recipe and an alternative when commercial achiote paste is unavailable.
Easy Method on how to prepare recado rojo or achiote sauce for making chicken pibil in the Instant Pot
Achiote paste is available at many Hispanic supermarkets; however, if you cannot find it, use annatto seeds. The seeds must soak in vinegar the night before and blend with coriander seeds, bay leaves, cloves, cumin, oregano, allspice, lime zest, orange peel, orange juice, kosher salt, garlic, and roasted habanero.
The achiote sauce or recado rojo uses sour orange juice. However, this is another ingredient that is difficult to find. A suitable replacement for bitter orange is orange juice mixed with white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or lime juice.
A 3-ounce package of achiote paste makes two and a half cups of achiote sauce combined with one cup of citrus juice and a quarter cup of vinegar.
Use the blender to make the recado rojo or the molcajete for a traditional blending technique. If bel ding by hand, use gloves as the achiote will stain your hands.
To make the achiote sauce or recado rojo.
- Break the achiote paste into small pieces and add to the blender.
- Pour the orange juice and the apple cider vinegar and place the lid on the blender.
- Blend for 1 minute until getting a smooth sauce.
Cooking the chicken pibil in the Instant pot is easy!
When choosing the protein of choice, we recommend chicken thighs as those are higher in fat and will work best when cooking using the Instant pot or the pressure cooking technique.
The chicken thighs will melt in your mouth, and the meat will be full of flavor and juicy. Otherwise, pork butt, pork chops, or pork loin are a delightful choice. Who doesn’t like a traditional Puerco Pibil?
Set the IP to “saute” mode and sear the pre-marinated chicken thighs using corn oil or pork lard. Pour the achiote marinade and mix.
For adding banana leaf flavor, you can use the frozen open. Cut a small piece, remove the edges with scissors and toast it on direct fire on the stove for a few seconds on both sides. Cover the chicken with it before closing the pressure cooker.
Place the lid and close the valve. Set the IP to cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Allow the IP to do a natural release or a quick release.
To make the chicken pibil.
- Place the chicken thighs in a large mixing bowl and season with one cup of the recado blanco.
- Cover and allow the chicken to marinate inside the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Recommend to marinate overnight for better taste.
- Set the IP to “saute” mode and sear the pre-marinated chicken thighs using corn oil or pork lard. Pour the achiote marinade and mix.
- Place the lid and close the valve. Set the IP to cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. When ready, do a quick release, but we recommend allowing the IP to do a natural release instead.
The chicken pibil recipe is a slow cooker and dutch oven friendly. However, it takes more time than using an electric pressure cooker or a standard stovetop pressure cooker.
Serve the chicken pibil with a side of white rice, black beans, pickled onions, and habanero salsa. Homemade corn tortillas are the yummiest option too.
The Yucatan-style chicken is perfect for tacos too!
Shred the chicken with two forks, grab a few warm corn tortillas, add some chicken pibil in the middle of the tortilla, and make chicken pibil tacos. Garnish with red pickled onions, fresh cilantro, and your favorite habanero salsa. Serve the tacos with a side of rice and beans for a complete meal.
Double the amount of chicken and recado rojo to feed a crowd for a party. Include different types of salsas and sides. Make sopes and tlacoyos and use the pibil chicken to top the corn cakes or to make layered tostadas.
In Yucatan, many buy the recados ready to use at the farmer’s market. But since we don’t have those premade, I am providing the details on how to make your white recado at home. Find the recipe here.
Pickled red onions are very easy to make. We like two techniques: sous-vide, or classic pickling with spices, salt, white vinegar, and warm water brine. Look for the recipe using the “search” option on this site.
Chicken Pibil or Pollo Pibil in the Instant Pot
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot
- 1 Blender
- 1 Mixing bowl
Ingredients
For the achiote sauce or recado rojo
- 1 package achiote paste 3.5 ounces or 99 grams
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
For the chicken pibil
- 1 pound skinless chicken thighs 8-10 pieces
- 1 cup recado blanco Yucatan-style condiment
- 1 tablespoon corn oil or pork lard
- 1 1/2 cups recado rojo or achiote marinade
Instructions
To make the achiote sauce or recado rojo
- Break the achiote paste into small pieces and add to the blender.
- Pour the orange juice and the apple cider vinegar and place the lid on the blender.
- Blend for 1 minute until getting a smooth sauce.
To make the chicken pibil
- Place the chicken thighs in a large mixing bowl and season with one cup of the recado blanco.
- Cover and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes inside the fridge. Recommend to marinate overnight for better taste.
- Set the IP to “saute” mode and sear the pre-marinated chicken thighs using corn oil or pork lard. Pour the achiote marinade and mix.
- Place the lid and close the valve. Set the IP to cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. When ready, do a quick release, but we recommend allowing the IP to do a natural release instead.
Notes
- Achiote paste is available at many Hispanic supermarkets however if you cannot find it use annatto seeds. The seeds must be soaked in vinegar the night before for easy blending. And blended with coriander seeds, bay leaves, cloves, cumin, oregano, allspice, lime zest, orange peel and orange juice, kosher salt, garlic, and roasted habanero.
- The achiote sauce or recado rojo uses sour orange juice, however, this is another ingredient that is difficult to find. A good replacement is orange juice combined with white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Or otherwise lime juice.
- A 3-ounce package of achiote paste makes two and a half cups of achiote sauce when combined with one cup of citrus juice and a quarter cup of vinegar.
- Use the blender to make the recado rojo or the molcajete for a traditional blending technique. If blending by hand use gloves as the achiote will stain your hands.
- When choosing the protein of choice we recommend chicken thighs as those are higher in fat and will work best when cooking using the Instant pot or the pressure cooking technique.
- Chicken thighs will melt in your mouth and the meat will be full of flavor and so juicy. Otherwise, pork butt, pork chops, or pork loin are a delightful choice too.
Nutrition
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