I did a video recently about frying chicken in lard. In fact, I fried up a batch just a few days ago.
ING 5 lb whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces 1/2 cup olive oil 6 garlic cloves minced 2 tsp ea ground cumin
kosher salt, black pepper, Mexican oregano 4 oz achiote paste packet 1/2 c ea fresh orange juice, lime juice
METHOD --- Heat oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, and half of the achiote paste and cook for several minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Set aside. Put cooled achiote garlic mixture, orange juice, and lime juice in a large Ziploc freezer bag. Add chicken pieces, seal bag, and massage chicken and marinate 2-4 hours or overnight. Any longer will toughen the chicken. We want TENDER.
FINAL Preheat grill to 350°F to 400°F. Liftout chicken from marinade. Grill covered to 165°F on therm inserted into thickest portion....
20-30 min. Dont turn, no need for grill marks. Baste often w/ puréed marinade. Discard when done.
Chef Notes
1. break up and smash the achiote paste in the marinade, making sure it's blended in (or blender after it cools). Here is an achiote spice blend substitute. Double this recipe for a full 5 lb chicken. Use as is for half a chicken.
Achiote Paste Alternative
combine 1 1/2 tbsp paprika tb white vinegar tsp dried Mexican oregano 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 tsp ground cumin
Then use to marinate chicken along with other seasonings and citrus juices.
2. Acid bases include vinegar, wine, citrus juice, and tomatoes. Acidic marinades might actually toughen chicken. When using a highly acidic marinade for chicken, add a little olive oil and/or minimize marinating time. With the garlic, spice and achiote mixture included, overnight (8 hours) is OK.