al pastor tacos
For the end of 2020, me and the boo went to Tulum to decompress & relax from this crazy year…my soul really needed this. During our trip, I met up with a friend who lives in the Mayan Jungle. My friend, Alberto, was actually my Airbnb Experience host from back in March when I first visited Tulum before the quarantine. We kept in contact throughout the year because originally, I wanted him to come to the US (New York for the first time) to partner with me on a cooking class but the pandemic hit..womp!
He took me to an amazing market in the Yucatan so I could pick up some spices (for something I am releasing very soon..ahhh!) and then he hosted us at his house in the jungle. He made us the most authentic & delicious al pastor tacos! Tbh, these were probably the best tacos we had the entire trip maybe because it was home cooked and lots of thought & care went into this. Al pastor tacos are the native taco and are basically served at any taqueria! They are topped with sweet pineapple to compliment the spice of the pork! It’s truly amazing!
Anyway, Alberto sent me the recipe and I was determined to make this when I got home because clearly I was still craving it. We had a little New Year’s brunch this past weekend with some framlily and I made a chicken version instead of pork - the bestie & the boo don’t eat pork normally so I subbed it. They were amazing and just as I remembered!
Note - there are some key Mexican ingredients that go in al pastor marinade that are actually not that hard to find. You probably pass them in your grocery store. If they are not in your grocery store or international market you can order them online or sub with certain similar ingredients.
Key Ingredients
Dried Chilis (Guajillo & Ancho) - Dried chilis are essential in Mexican cooking. They are dried versions of your favorite fresh spicy peppers. However, dried chilis add complex and earthy flavors to dishes. Sometimes smoky or sweet but FULL OF FLAVOR!
Achiote Paste - Another super key ingredient. Achiote paste comes from ground annatto seeds (seeds that are bright orange and is what gives the key color in a lot of Mexican foods. It’s more for color than flavor). Achiote paste is a paste that is mixed with lots of Mexican spices like cumin, oregano, garlic. You can either make your own - here or a quick cheat version you can use Sazon
Sour Oranges (Naranja Agria) - Sour oranges are also very traditional to Mexico. They are used in a ton of marinades and salsas in Mexico. If you cannot find sour oranges which I’m sure you can, you can use freshly squeezed orange juice.
Mexican Oregano - Mexican oregano is very different from Italian oregano because it is not as strong. Mexican oregano is light and almost lemony…so good! You can usually find them in the international aisle, international market or buy them - here . Tip - they are usually with the dried chilis!
Ingredients
1.5lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into cubes
Pescatarian version - 1lb any flaky white fish like halibut or shrimp
2 guajillo peppers - you can find them in your international aisle, just ask a grocery store associate or your international market.
1 ancho pepper - you can find them in your international aisle, just ask a grocery store associate or your international market.
2 tablespoons achiote paste or 2 tablespoons sazon
1/2 small yellow onion
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sour orange juice, freshly squeezed, about 4 sour oranges or 4 navel oranges fresh squeezed
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano or Italian oregano (if you can’t find)
salt & pepper, to taste
vegetable oil
Quick Picante Sauce
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 habanero peppers or 2 scotch bonnet peppers
Garnish
white onion, chopped
cilantro, chopped
fresh pineapple chunks
corn or flour tortillas, lightly fried in some oil to soften them
Directions
Softening the guajillo & ancho chili peppers: Fill a sauce pan with water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat and add the dried chili peppers to the pan and cover it. Let it steam for about 15-20 minutes. Remove the stem and the seeds.
Season your chicken cubes generously with salt & pepper. For the al pastor marinade - add the orange juice, achiote paste, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, onion, softened chili peppers & oregano to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Pour marinade all over the chicken and let marinate for 24 hours or half a day.
For the picante sauce: In a sauce pan with a little vegetable oil, add the chopped tomatoes and habanero peppers. Let it cook down for about 20 minutes until soft. Add everything to a blender and some salt, to taste…done!
When your chicken is ready, in a cast iron skillet on medium heat with some vegetable oil add the chicken in batches and cook until done! I added some of the marinade to the chicken once it was almost done to get all that extra flavor and juice…YUM!
Serve them over corn tortillas with pineapple, cilantro, white onion & some picante sauce!