This chicken al pastor features almost-charred pineapple and toasty spicy chicken that is incredibly tender and juicy! Serve with of white onion and fresh cilantro.
Ingredients
- guajillo Chilis: 4 piece (seeded, dried)
- achiote paste: 2 Tbsp
- cloves garlic: 6 piece (peeled)
- chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: 1 can (7 ounce can, drained)
- ⅓ cups finely chopped onion: 1 piece (divided)
- orange juice: 0.66667 cup
- apple cider vinegar: 3 Tbsp
- olive oil: 3 Tbsp
- ground cumin: 1 Tbsp
- light brown sugar: 1 Tbsp
- kosher salt: 1 tsp
- skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut in half: 3 pound
- (12-inch) jumbo wooden skewers: 8 piece
- pineapple - peeled, cored, and: 1 piece (sliced, fresh)
- corn tortillas: 20 piece (6 inch)
- fresh cilantro: 0.25 cup (roughly chopped)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add dried chiles; cook, turning occasionally, until toasted and blistered in spots, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water to just cover the chiles, and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Cover and cook, undisturbed, until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain well. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Combine chiles, achiote, garlic, chipotles, 2/3 cup onion, orange juice, vinegar, oil, cumin, brown sugar, and salt in a blender; process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Reserve 1/2 cup marinade, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Place remaining marinade in a shallow dish or large resealable plastic bag, add chicken; toss to evenly coat. Cover chicken with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Place wooden skewers in a shallow dish; cover with water by 1 inch. Let stand at room temperature while chicken marinates. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Position oven rack 8 inches away from heating element. Line a small roasting pan or 13- x 9-inch baking dish with aluminum foil.
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Thread 1 pineapple slice onto 2 skewers, being sure to pierce through the center core, (skewers will be about 1 inch apart), leaving a 1 1/2-inch space from end of skewer. Thread 5 to 6 pieces of marinated chicken, stacking on top of pineapple; thread 1 pineapple slice. Repeat process, ending with pineapple slice, until all chicken pieces and pineapple slices are used, making 4 stacks total. Brush with any remaining marinade from chicken. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Place stacked skewers in the prepared pan, resting skewer ends on edge of pan so that the chicken doesn't touch the bottom of the pan. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Flip skewers over, brush with reserved 1/2 cup marinade. Bake until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes longer. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160 degrees F (71 degrees C). Increase oven temperature to broil; broil until browned and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip, and broil until browned and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over high heat. Working two at a time, add tortillas; cook, turning once, until heated and browning in some spots, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Remove chicken and pineapple from skewers, place on cutting board, roughly chop. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Divide chicken and pineapple between heated tortillas; top with remaining onion and cilantro. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
