The Lebanese invented tacos al pastor in Mexico in the 1930s, adapting a traditional lamb favorite to their new country’s preference for pork. You can also prepare this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs. Cook the marinated chicken and pineapple rings in a hot oven, on a grill, or in a well-seasoned cast iron pan. Using a cast iron pan produces delicious chicken, but this method generates a lot of smoke! Cook in a well-vented space or outdoors.
Ingredients
Marinade
3.5-ounce package achiote paste, available at any market or bodega that sells Mexican ingredients. I like the El Yucateco brand.
3 canned chipotle chili in adobo plus 4 Tbl of the canning sauce
¾ cup water
1 tsp freshly toasted and ground cumin seeds
2 Tbl cider vinegar
2 large cloves garlic
¼ cup vegetable oil plus more for brushing onto the pineapple slices
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or bone the legs leaving the skin on.
½ pineapple, sliced in ½-inch thick rounds and brushed with oil. I love the taste of these, so I like to grill the whole pineapple and use the other half in salads or served with cheese, avocado, or citrus fruits.
To serve
2 packages corn tortillas, warmed
Fresh lime wedges and sprigs of cilantro for garnish
Directions
- Purée all marinade ingredients in a blender until smooth.
- Lightly season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and coat with the marinade. Let stand for at least an hour. You will have quite a bit of marinade left. It will keep for weeks in the refrigerator. It can also be used as an intense salsa, served with charred pork, black beans and fresh lime.
- Place the marinated chicken on a cleaned and oiled grate over medium heat and cook until the thighs reach 165°. You can also cook the chicken and pineapple in a 400º oven. With boneless meat, a temperature of 165° works fine.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest, loosely covered with foil, for about 5 minutes.
- Cut the chicken crosswise on the diagonal into thin slices or cube the grilled meat and chop the pineapple. Everything is ready to be wrapped up in a warm corn tortilla.
- Serve with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
Optional choices for the table
Rick Bayless’s recipes never fail me!
Red salsa
Green salsa
Pickled red onion rings
Excellent recipe for Al Pastor. Great flavors!!! I made a version of the Za’atar chicken at the same time; for lunch tommorow! Tandoori Chicken next week. Jerk Chicken the week after.
So glad you enjoyed the taco recipe and I welcome your feedback on the other recipes.