Chicken al Pastor

This chicken al pastor only uses one sheet pan and cooks in the oven in 25 minutes. It’s naturally gluten free, dairy free, and paleo. It’s made using few ingredients, is low carb, and it’s a perfect recipe for meal prepping, or for a family dinner. There are countless ways to serve this recipe to be sure everyone will enjoy.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Fast: With a cook time of about 25 minutes you can have chicken al pastor in a hurry.
• One Pan: Only dirtying one sheet pan saves you on the cleanup and lets you get on with your day/night.
• Simple: There are not many ingredients to this recipe and most, if not all, are most likely already in your house.
• Perfect Meal Prep: Chicken al pastor is a one pan meal that you can prepare in a variety of ways for meal prep for the week ahead.

Ingredients to Make Chicken al Pastor

This recipe has three main parts so I have divided the ingredients up into sections to keep it simple. The chicken portion of the Chicken al Pastor recipe has 3 ingredients and, if you like, you can customize that portion to a degree. The marinade is also very simple and the last portion is all optional ingredients for serving.

The Ingredients to Prepare the Chicken

For the chicken portion of chicken al pastor you will need 1.5 to 2 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken thighs. You will need a cup and a half of diced pineapple or pineapple chunks, whichever is your preference, and half a thinly sliced yellow onion.

Ingredients to Make the Marinade

The easy marinade for this recipe consists of two chipotle chiles in adobo. The chilis are chopped and you will need three tablespoons of sauce from the can. You will need three tablespoons of honey or brown sugar (use the honey option if you’re keeping this paleo) and the juice from one large orange, which is about 1/3 cup. As far as seasonings and spices, you will need a tablespoon of minced garlic, two teaspoons of cumin, a teaspoon of coriander, and a teaspoon of salt.

Optional Ingredients for Serving

• Corn or flour tortillas
• Sour cream
• Red onion
• Cilantro
• Salsa (try our homemade Mango Habanero Salsa)
• Pico de Gallo (try our homemade Mango Pico de Gallo)
• Limes
• Queso or Cotija (try our homemade Queso Mozzarella)
• Shredded cheese
• Rice
• Guacamole

How to Make Chicken al Pastor

Making this chicken al pastor is super simple and only takes about twenty five minutes. I’ve broken it down into three steps plus assembly and since it’s a sheet pan meal it doesn’t make for a messy kitchen.

Step 1: Make the Marinade

We start the chicken al pastor by making the marinade. I recommend starting this step the night before you are going to make the chicken so the marinade has the most time to absorb.

Add all the ingredients from the marinade section to a large bowl and mix it together until well combined. Make sure your onion has been thinly sliced into strips. Then add in the chicken thighs and sliced onion to the bowl and toss them together until everything is coated.

Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator. Let it marinade for a minimum of 30 minutes to overnight. I definitely recommend a longer marinating time as the flavors absorb more the longer you let it go so, if you have the time or planned out the meal early enough, aim for overnight or close to it.

Step 2: Prepare the Sheet Pan and Begin Cooking

Check your oven racks and make sure that one is about six inches or so under the broiler of the oven and the other is roughly in the middle. You definitely don’t want to mess with adjusting them once the oven is hot. Then preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a large baking sheet with foil. This part is optional but it will save you effort towards the end of the recipe and for cleanup afterwards. Drain the pineapple and add it into the bowl with the chicken, onions, and marinade. Toss it together a little and then gently transfer the chicken, onions, and pineapple to the lined baking sheet.

Arrange the items on the sheet to make sure it is all in a single layer and place the baking sheet into the oven on the middle rack. Bake on the center rack for twenty minutes at 425 degrees F.

Step 3: Dice the Chicken and Finish Cooking

Once the twenty minutes are up, remover the sheet pan from the oven. The chicken should be nearly cooked; transfer the thighs to a cutting board and cut it into bite sized pieces. While you are preparing the chicken, set the oven to broil to get it ready.

After cutting the chicken, return it to the sheet pan with the onion and pineapple and place it back into the oven on the top rack. Broil for about 5-6 minutes until the pineapple is caramelized and the chicken is slightly charred.

Remove the sheet pan from the oven and move on to assemble your chicken al pastor.

How to Debone Chicken Thighs

Deboning chicken thighs always seems tricky on its face but it is quite easy.

1. Start with the chicken thigh skin side down.
2. Carefully cut along the bone on the first side and then repeat on the other side.
3. Cut along the underside of the bone carefully.
4. Cut away the meat around the joint.

Then you just remove the bone and cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and voila!

Step 4: Assemble and Serve

Gather any of the optional ingredients you have on hand if you haven’t already. You can assemble chicken al pastor in all of the same ways you would assemble a taco, burrito. or fajitas. Here are four of the classics and my favorites:

• Tacos: Remember to warm your tortilla slightly.
• Bowls: Lay down a bed of rice or cauliflower rice or your favorite base and assemble.
• Salads: Similar to the bowl but with a bed of and mixture of lettuce, spinach, or your favorite leafy greens.
• Lettuce Wraps: Just like your taco or burrito minus the tortilla with the added lettuce wrap crunch.

Storing and Meal Prep Instructions

Store your chicken al pastor by letting it cool to room temperature and placing it in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will keep well in the refrigerator for about 5 days.

How to Meal Prep with Chicken al Pastor

Meal prep with this recipe is a snap. I prefer to do bowls or salads with this for my meal prepping since its super easy to warm up the chicken al pastor separately from a salad and combine it with the cold toppings for a fresh salad every time or to portion it out over a bed of cauliflower rice (or rice of your choice) to reheat it all together.

Let the chicken al pastor cool to room temp before portioning it into airtight meal prep containers and refrigerate. Depending on your preference, you can make an extra batch of the marinade. Drizzle some over the rice or to reheat some with the chicken to use as a dressing for the salad.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is chicken al pastor?

Al pastor is a meat, generally pork or chicken, marinated in an adobo sauce made of spices and citrus juices. Generally it is roasted on a spit as it was inspired from the lamb doner recipes brought by Lebanese immigrants.

Can I use chicken breasts for chicken al pastor?

You can use chicken breasts if you like but be aware that the cook time will be different from this recipe and chicken breasts are generally a bit drier than thighs. Pay attention to your cooking so they don’t get over dry and cook thoroughly.

Can I use other meats to make chicken al pastor?

This chicken al pastor recipe uses chicken thighs and you can use different meats to make it but you will have to pay attention to the cook times since I haven’t tested out different meats. Make sure you thoroughly cook your meats.

Is chicken al pastor Whole30?

No this recipe is not Whole30.

Is chicken al pastor paleo?

Yes, this chicken al pastor recipe is paleo if you use the honey option instead of the brown sugar and ensure there is no added sugars or the like to the can of chiles you are using.

Is chicken al pastor spicy?

There is a little spice to chicken al pastor although it is not an overly high spice level recipe. It is mild to moderate spice depending on the chiles used and etc.

Can I double this chicken al pastor recipe?

Of course you can double this recipe to feed a larger crowd or for extra meal prep. Make sure that the recipe fits on your baking sheet in a single layer and it’s too overcrowded.

Other Easy Chicken Recipes You’ll Love:

• Cilantro Lime Chicken Thighs
• Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
• Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken
• Crock Pot Lemonade Chicken
• Garlic Chicken and Potato Skillet

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