Chicken Al Pastor - IN THE OVEN

If you love the tangy and spicy flavors of al pastor, you'll love this recipe. It's super easy and makes a great weeknight taco dinner. I made a big batch of this because it's great leftover for lunch the next day. You could even use the chicken as a flavorful protein for a salad.

Ingredients for marinade:

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
3.5-4lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 cups diced pineapple (fresh), plus more for serving

In a blender, combine: 

6 cloves of garlic
5 chipotle peppers in adobo
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 cup orange juice
4 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP achiote paste
2 TBSP ancho chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt

Other ingredients and toppings (the toppings are all option, use what you like. We had them all): 

Flour tortillas

Limes

Cilantro

White onion, diced

Jalapeño, sliced

Cashew crema (recipe below) or sour cream

Additional cut pineapple

Queso fresco

Quick pickled radish (slice about 4 radishes thin into matchsticks, add a few dashes of Tabasco, 1 tsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp honey. Toss and let sit for at least 30 minutes)

Directions: 

1. Combine your marinade, chicken and sliced onions in a ziptop bag. Marinate at least 6 hours and up to 48 hours. I did mine overnight, so about 24 hours. 

2. Prep all of your toppings into small dishes to create a toppings bar. Remove the chicken from the fridge while you're doing this and preheat the oven to 425. 

3. Line a sheet pan with foil. Lay the chicken out with the onions in a single layer. Spread around the 2 cups of diced pineapple. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes. 

4. Prepare a clean sheet tray with foil. Take the chicken out of the oven and cut it into small pieces.  Place it on the clean sheet tray. Make sure to transfer over the pineapple and onions too. 

5. Place under the broiler for 4 minutes. Toss and then another 4 minutes or until some caramelization shows on the chicken. 

6. While the chicken is under the broiler, char some tortillas over the stove burners to warm them and give them a little color. Keep warm. 

7. When the chicken is done, place some chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla and top with all of your desired toppings.  

This was a hit and a great weeknight taco Tuesday dinner! The standout toppings were the extra fresh pineapple, the cashew crema and fresh crunch white onion. 

Cashew crema

In a high speed blender, combine all ingredients. Taste for seasoning. If your cashews are lightly salted, do not add more salt. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.  Instead of cashews, you could use sour cream and add all of the other ingredients to punch up the flavor. 

1 cup raw cashews (preferably unsalted)

1 clove of garlic

juice of 1 lime

juice of 1/2 a lemon

3/4 cup water

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika