Sheet Pan (and a blender) Yucatan Chicken

My Yucatan Chicken is a refreshing diversion from the usual fajitas and tacos and is definitely a recipe to try when you are looking for some good flavors, but don’t want to bother with too much cooking time or clean up. The meal comes together in one sheet pan and all you need is blender or a food processor to make your recado, which is essentially a spice mix in which you would use to both marinate and cook your chicken.

With the Yucatan Peninsula jutting out between the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, it is at an intersection of the Americas and blend of the Mayan cuisines, Spanish influence, and even the Mediterranean years later. The Mayans brought the beans, corn, and tomato, the Spanish brought the garlic and chicken, and a later wave of Syrian immigrants brought a love of grilling and a deeper ingratiation of the flavors.

All of these flavors come together to create a unique cuisine all its own that is salty and sour and a diversion from the fiery salsas you tend to think of when it comes to Mexican cuisine. Instead, the recados of the Yucatan tend to be comprised of vinegars, garlic, cloves, oregano, and cumin. Sounds interesting right?

My Yucatan Chicken is a must try for a unique flavor that comes together with ease and clean up is a breeze. Try this today and let me know what you think about the unique flavors of the Yucatan.

Serves 4

Tools:

A blender of a food processor

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 large tomatoes, sliced

1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut thin

1/2 lb. potatoes, sliced like thick cut potato chips

2 ears of corn, kernels removed (frozen would also work)

For the Recado:

1 whole head of roasted garlic (trust me! It works and is not over powering)

1 small chili of your choice (Thai red chilis are very easy to come by here as you likely noticed)

1/4 cup of white vinegar

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 teaspoons of dried oregano

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. No one likes a raw potato, so first thing is to get these in a preheated oven at 400F. Spread them evenly across a baking dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil.
2. In the meantime, make your recado by combining all ingredients in a blender or food processor and run until smooth. Pour half of the mixture over the chicken breasts.
3. After about 20 minutes, remove the potatoes from the oven and begin to layer the tomatoes on top of the potatoes. Add the chicken on top of that and then the sprinkle the green beans and corn kernels over the top. It’s kind of like layering a casserole…Pour the rest of the marinade over the top of everything and add salt and pepper to taste as needed.
4. Cook in the preheated oven for another 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve on chicken breast with plenty of potatoes and veggies on the side.

If you are looking for more Mexican recipes that go beyond tacos, check out my arroz con pollo or my salmon with pepian verde!