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Escabeche oriental
Escabeche oriental: charcoal-grilled chicken in a clear, peppery vinegar broth with blistered onions and pale xcatic chillies
Valladolid, in eastern Yucatán, gave this dish its name: oriental means from the east of the peninsula. It is a lunchtime staple of the town's loncherías and family tables, eaten hot in a deep bowl with corn tortillas, especially on weekends and at fiestas, and every cook guards a recado of black pepper, allspice, clove and Yucatecan oregano. The chicken is simmered in a garlicky spiced broth, rubbed with the recado and grilled until smoky, then returned to the broth with charred onions and xcatic chillies sharpened with vinegar. The result is light but bold: a clear, tart, peppery broth, smoky juicy chicken and soft, sweet onion with a gentle chilli heat. Common mistake: boiling the chicken hard, which clouds the broth and makes the meat stringy. Keep it at a lazy simmer. It is ready when the broth is clear and golden, smells of vinegar and allspice, and the onions are soft but still hold a bite. Outside Mexico, use güero, banana or Hungarian wax peppers for xcatic. Chef's tip: char the garlic head until black in patches; that smoky sweetness is the soul of the broth.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the broth
- 4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)about 1.2 kg
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 1 garlic headwhole, unpeeled
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 3 cloves
- 1 ⅛ in cinnamon stickpreferably soft Ceylon cinnamon
- 2 tsp salt
- ¼ cup mild white or cider vinegarYucatecan cooks use a fruit vinegar
For the recado rub
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 3 garlic clovescrushed to a paste
- 1 tbsp mild white or cider vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
To finish
- 2 red onionscut into 1 cm rings
- 4 xcatic chilliesor güero, banana or Hungarian wax peppers
- 12 warm corn tortillas (optional)
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Char the 1 garlic head and ½ white onion on a dry heavy pan or comal over a medium-high heat, turning, until blackened in patches and fragrant, 8–10 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Put the 4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick) in a large pot with 8 ¼ cups water, the charred garlic and onion, 3 bay leaves, 6 allspice berries, 1 tsp black peppercorns, 3 cloves, 1 ⅛ in cinnamon stick, 1 tsp dried Yucatecan or Mexican oregano and 2 tsp salt. Bring just to a boil over a medium-high heat and skim off the grey foam.
10 minStep 3: Turn the heat to low and simmer gently, with only a few lazy bubbles, until the chicken is just cooked and the juices run clear, 25 minutes.
25 minStep 4: Meanwhile, mix 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, ½ tsp ground allspice, ¼ tsp ground cloves, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp mild white or cider vinegar and ½ tsp salt into a thick dark paste.
3 minStep 5: Lift the chicken out, pat it dry and rub it all over with the recado. Strain the broth into a clean pan, squeezing the soft garlic through the sieve, and stir in ¼ cup mild white or cider vinegar. Taste for salt.
5 minStep 6: Grill the chicken over hot charcoal or in a ridged grill pan over a high heat, turning, until the skin is charred in spots and crisp and the meat reads 167°F at the bone, 8–10 minutes.
10 minStep 7: Blister 2 red onions and 4 xcatic chillies on the grill or a dry hot pan, turning once, until soft and blackened at the edges, 6–8 minutes.
8 minStep 8: Add the onions and chillies to the broth and simmer over a medium heat until the onions turn pink and silky but keep a bite, 3 minutes.
3 minStep 9: Put a chicken leg in each deep bowl, ladle over the hot broth with plenty of onion and a chilli, and serve with 12 warm corn tortillas. Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge; bring to a full boil before serving.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does escabeche oriental take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
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