Honey Glazed Chicken — A Recipe Born on the Border, Where the Best Food Lives

Eleven days until graduation. Luis Jr.'s last weeks of high school are a blur of senior activities — the senior trip (which I did not let him go on because it was three hundred dollars and I am a bakery owner, not a bank), the senior awards ceremony (where he received the Citizenship Award, which feels prophetic for a boy about to take the citizenship of military service), and the senior prank (which involved six hundred rubber ducks in the swimming pool, and Luis Jr. claims he had nothing to do with it, and I believe him because lying is not in his character and also because he doesn't have the logistical imagination for six hundred rubber ducks).

Isabella finished her freshman year with a 4.0. Perfect. Again. She took AP Biology and got a five on the AP exam, which is the highest score possible, which she reported to me with the same flat tone she uses for everything, as if a five on the AP Bio exam is roughly equivalent to finding a quarter on the sidewalk — notable but not worth getting excited about. I am excited. I am excited enough for both of us. My daughter got a perfect score on a college-level science exam and she is fifteen and she is going to be a nurse and then she is going to run a hospital and then she is going to cure something and then she is going to win a prize and I will be in the audience, clapping, the way I have always been, the way I will always be.

Diego finished fourth grade. His teacher wrote on his final report card: "Diego is the most intellectually curious student I have ever taught. He asks questions I cannot answer, which is the highest compliment a student can give a teacher." He is ten in July. His questions have outgrown his teachers. His questions are reaching for college and his body is still in elementary school and the gap between where his mind is and where his feet are is the gap I am trying to fill — with STEM camps and microscopes and the unwavering belief that a boy from the Lower Valley can build a bridge across the Rio Grande if someone just gives him the materials.

I made pollo asado this week — grilled chicken marinated in achiote paste and orange juice, served with rice and beans and a bright curtido-style slaw. Not Rosa's recipe. Mine. A recipe I developed from the intersection of Yucatecan technique (achiote) and Chihuahuan instinct (the grill, always the grill), and the result is a chicken that tastes like both places and neither place and a third place that exists only in my kitchen, which is the border, which is always the border, which is where the best food lives.

So here it is — the recipe I made the week everything accelerated. Luis Jr. eleven days from graduation, Isabella quietly perfect, Diego asking questions that outgrow his classrooms. I stood at the grill and thought about borders — the ones on maps and the ones inside a kitchen where two traditions meet and become something new. This pollo asado is that meeting point: achiote paste from the Yucatán, citrus and heat from Chihuahua, and the honey glaze that holds it all together the way I try to hold everything together. It’s not Rosa’s recipe. It’s mine.

Achiote Honey Glazed Grilled Chicken

Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 2 hours marinating) | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 3 tablespoons achiote paste
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 2 oranges)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Juice of 1 lime

For the Curtido-Style Slaw

• 3 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For Serving

• 3 cups cooked white or Mexican-style rice
• 1 1/2 cups refried beans or whole pinto beans
• Lime wedges
• Fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. Make the marinade. In a blender or bowl, combine the achiote paste, orange juice, honey, olive oil, garlic, apple cider vinegar, cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper, salt, and lime juice. Blend or whisk until smooth. The mixture should be a deep rust-red color.
2. Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken pieces in a large zip-top bag or shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken, turning to coat all pieces evenly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. The longer it sits, the deeper the flavor.
3. Prepare the curtido slaw. Toss the green and red cabbage, carrot, red onion, and jalapeño together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and salt. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld.
4. Preheat the grill. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat, about 400°F. Clean and oil the grates well to prevent sticking.
5. Grill the chicken. Remove the chicken from the marinade and let excess drip off. Place skin-side down on the grill. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes per side, turning only once, until the skin is charred in spots and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Move pieces to a cooler zone of the grill if flare-ups occur.
6. Rest and serve. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve alongside warm rice, beans, and a generous mound of the curtido slaw. Finish with lime wedges and fresh cilantro.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 35g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 720mg