If you love juicy grilled or roasted chicken with loads of flavor, this Cuban pollo asado recipe is for you!

This is truly one of my favorite chicken dishes of all time. Ok, fine I like Cuban grilled chicken breasts too. Ha! You probably think this is a Mexican recipe because of its vibrant color but this Latin chicken asado recipe is not spicy. This recipe is commonly made in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other Caribbean islands.

Let’s upgrade your roasted chicken game!

What is Pollo Asado?

Pollo Asado [pronounced: poh-yoh ah-sa-doh] is Spanish for “roasted chicken”.

This pollo asado recipe is prepared with a citrusy-garlic marinade, complete seasoning, and annatto powder then roasted (or grilled) to charred perfection.

Why You’ll Love Making Cuban Roasted Chicken

• Easy to make. This easy pollo asado recipe practically makes itself! The hardest part is waiting for it to marinate for 2 hours.

• Few ingredients. Don’t you just love recipes with a few, simple ingredients? You may already even have them in your kitchen as we speak.

• Grilled or Roasted. I love options! With this recipe, you can either grill the chicken on a BBQ or roast it in the oven. It will taste delicious no matter how you make it!

• Versatile. The beauty of simple chicken recipes is that you can serve them with just about anything from white rice, creamy mashed potatoes, salad, or roasted veggies.

• Bold Cuban Flavors. The homemade sour orange-garlic marinade is the true selling point here. It turns boring chicken into a juicy, delicious masterpiece!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Sour orange juice (naranja agria). This is what gives the chicken its flavor! You can get store-bought sour orange juice or make your own sour citrus juice using fresh limes, lemons, and oranges. All you need to make homemade naranja agria is orange zest, 1 cup of fresh orange juice, 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice. No vinegar is needed!

• Neutral oil. You can use vegetable oil or canola oil but if you only have olive oil, you can use that in a pinch.

• Minced garlic. I said 4 cloves but feel free to add more if that’s what your heart desires!

• Complete seasoning. These are a blend of spices like oregano, cumin, garlic, onion, salt, and black pepper.

• Annatto powder for color. You can substitute it for achiote powder, achiote paste, turmeric, or smoked paprika, use what you have!

• Ground cumin. Even if the complete seasoning has cumin, more is more!

• Salt + pepper to taste. Adjust as needed.

• Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and/or chicken legs. Can you use chicken breasts? Sure! You can use chicken wings, boneless chicken thighs, and/or drumsticks. And by the way, you can find it at Butcher Box!

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How To Make Cuban Pollo Asado

• Make the marinade. In a bowl, whisk together the oil, sour orange juice, garlic, complete seasoning, annatto, cumin, salt, and pepper to taste. This is your marinade.

• Marinate the chicken. Into a resealable freezer bag, add the chicken pieces and pour in the marinade. Toss and massage the chicken pieces really well with the marinade. Place the resealable bag in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours or up to overnight.

On the Grill (or Barbeque)

• Preheat a grill to medium heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade.

• Grill the chicken in direct heat, skin side down, for 5 minutes until slightly charred. Flip and cook the chicken in indirect heat, skin side up, for 30-35 minutes, keeping a close eye on the grill as the chicken can burn quickly. You can flip them over again, if necessary.

• Serve. When an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F internal temp in the thickest part of the chicken, it’s ready! Remove the chicken from the heat and serve.

Roasted in the oven

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. I like to cook the chicken in the oven low and slow to make sure it all cooks through evenly.

• Place a wire rack inside a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray the wire rack with cooking spray.

• Place the chicken thighs on the rack about 1-2 inches apart. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a food thermometer reads 165°F internal temp in the thickest part of the chicken.

• Broil on low for 5 minutes if you like that charred, golden brown skin on the chicken.

What To Serve With Pollo Asado

You can serve Cuban roasted chicken with:

• white rice
• black beans
• yellow rice
• Moros (black beans with rice)
• sweet plantains

Storage Tips

If you have leftovers, you can transfer them to an airtight container and place them in the fridge for up to 3 days or, in the freezer in a freezer bag for up to 4 months.