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Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
Dried Guajillo Chiles (stemmed and seeded) 4
Yellow Onion (small, quartered) 1
Dried Mexican Oregano 2 tablespoons
Thyme Leaves From 1 sprig
Garlic Cloves (peeled and smashed) 3
Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice 1 cup
Bay Leaves 2
Distilled White Vinegar 1 cup
Freshly Ground Black Pepper 1 tablespoon
Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt To taste
Whole Chicken (3–4 pounds, giblets removed) 1
Grapeseed Oil As needed
FOR THE SALSA PARA POLLO
Ripe Heirloom Tomatoes (halved) 2
Jalapeño (stemmed) 1
Cilantro Leaves (lightly packed) ¼ cup
Sea Salt To taste
Steps
- FOR THE CHICKEN
- Make the marinade. In a blender, add the guajillos, onion, oregano, thyme, garlic, orange juice, vinegar, and black pepper. Blend until smooth and add salt to taste. Set aside.
- Spatchcock/butterfly the chicken. Place the chicken breast-side down, with the cavity facing toward you. Use heavy kitchen shears to cut through the back ribs on both sides of the backbone; then remove the backbone and discard or save for stock. Open the rib cage and use a heavy knife to score down both sides of the sternum.
- Turn the chicken over so it's breast-side up and spread it open, like a book you're putting down to read later. Place the heel of your hand on the sternum (the spine of the book) and press down firmly using your full body weight. You should hear a crack, and the chicken will flatten.
- Fold down the top of a large zip-top bag. Place your chicken into it, laid out as flat as possible. Place the first bag inside a second zip-top bag to prevent leakage. Pour the marinade into the bag and close both bags. Place the bags in a baking dish that allows the chicken to lie flat and marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight if possible.
- Cook the chicken. Thirty minutes before cooking, take the marinated chicken out of the fridge to take the chill off.
- If using a charcoal grill: Fill a coal chimney starter with charcoal and light it. Let the chimney coals burn for about 20 minutes, until fully covered in white ash. Make a large mound of cold coals at the bottom of your grill, about 12 to 14 inches high in the center, to maintain the heat during grilling. Pour the hot coals over the cold coals, and spread it out. Once the coals turn gray, your grill is ready to use.
- If you are using charcoal, carefully separate the coals into two sections, a "hot zone" with three-quarters of the coals, and a "hold zone" with the remaining coals. Place a clean grill grate on top; once hot, lightly oil the grate.
- If using a gas grill: Turn your grill to medium-high heat.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade (you can discard excess marinade). Pat the chicken down with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Place the chicken, breast-side up, on the "hot zone" side of the grill. Cook with the lid off for 30 minutes. Brush the skin with oil and flip the chicken, cook for 15 minutes, breast-side down. Flip again and cook for another 15 minutes.
- After this time, move chicken to the cooler side of the grill (or turn the gas grill to medium-low). Continue cooking until the thickest part of the breast reads 160°F on a probe thermometer. (It will reach 165°F during carryover cooking, after it's removed from the grill.)
- Remove the chicken from the grill and tent it with aluminum foil (don't wrap it). Let it rest for 8 to 10 minutes, so the juices can redistribute.
- Split the pieces up or leave them whole. Serve it with Salsa para Pollo, rice, beans, and flour tortillas . . . always flour.
- FOR THE SALSA PARA POLLO
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tomatoes, jalapeño, and cilantro. Pulse 4 to 5 times, until the ingredients are broken down but not puréed.
- Pour the salsa into a small bowl and season with salt to taste.
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