This chicken with sazon recipe is a long time family favorite. Sazon has been our pantry staple for years, and it’s very versatile!
Sazon is an all-purpose seasoning used a lot in Spanish, African and Caribbean cooking. Although it’s from the New World, it incorporates lots of flavors from the Old World. Some recipes call for sazon and sazńon but the recipes are basically the same one just with different spelling because “sazon” is more common than “sazńon”.
SAZON CHICKEN
Never have bland chicken again. Sazon chicken is an easy chicken thighs recipe that’s packed with abundant flavor from limes, sour orange, and a homemade spice blend. This chicken is bursting with flavor, and it’s so tender it shreds apart just with your fork! Serve with a side of rice or mashed potatoes, and plenty of extra lime wedges for a burst of fresh lime juice overtop. Seriously, I make this about once a week!
Sazon translates to “seasoning” in Spanish, and these chicken thighs are definitely seasoned. The secret is in the homemade spice blend, a copycat of those orange Goya packets you’ve probably seen! The best part about making the spice blend yourself is controlling the salt level!
I’ve used the packets before and my biggest complaint was the saltiness! With homemade sazon, you’re in control! You can visit my post here for the spice mix, or I’ve copied it for you down here:
HOMEMADE SAZON
Let’s make a super versatile sazon! Here’s what you need:
- 1 tablespoon ground annatto
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Just mix everything together! For this recipe I use 3 teaspoons of the spice blend for 4 chicken thighs. But you can also use this to season ground beef, even potatoes!
INGREDIENTS
So now that we’ve made the spice mixture, it’s time to make the sazon chicken! Here’s what you need:
- Bone-in chicken thighs
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Limes
- Oregano
- Cumin
- Salt & pepper
- Sour orange mix (or fresh sour oranges if you can’t find them!)
- Chicken bouillon powder
- Red onions
- Green pepper
The great thing about this recipe is I usually have all these on hand! Red onions, limes and green peppers are staples in my kitchen, and I usually have some frozen chicken thighs I can thaw out! So this is a great recipe idea for when you want something delicious and satisfying but don’t want anything super complicated!
What makes this so easy is everything cooks up in one pan! This really is a “set it and forget it” type dish.
- Just season the chicken with the spice blend and the marinades, then add to a pan filled with 1 cup of boiling water.
- Cook covered on low for 30 minutes, flip and cook another 15 minutes.
- Flip again, uncover, bring to a boil and add your onions and peppers.
- Cook until all the liquid has boiled off and the peppers and onions are soft and caramelized.
Ok so that’s condensing the recipe a bit, but you get the idea. Once it’s in the pan cooking your really just flipping it, adding the peppers and onions, then reducing everything down!
COOKING TIPS
- Use bone-in chicken thighs for this! The chicken won’t be as tender and moist if you use boneless.
- You can cook the chicken right away after adding the seasonings and marinade, or you can leave it in the fridge for a few hours!
- When you’re finishing up the peppers and onions in the pan, if there’s extra oil just carefully tilt the pan and use a pan to remove any unwanted excess oil.
- As the peppers and onions are cooking, occasionally add a tablespoon of water to deglaze the pan. This will help them not stick to the button, as well as continually pick up all the flavor from the pan and add it back to the peppers and onions!
- These chicken thighs are delicious with a side of rice or mashed potatoes!
Easy dinners are one of my favorite things to cook! I’m always needing easy but inspired meals during the week. Check out some of my other popular recipes you might love too!
Chicken Parm Meatballs give you all the flavors of chicken parm in an easy meatball!
Chicken Piccata Meatballs are a lemony chicken meatball topped with fried capers.
Never buy jarred Alfredo again with this Easy Alfredo Sauce recipe!
Pizza night? This Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Pizza is one of our favorites!
Change up taco night! Instead try these Taco Meatballs or these Enchilada Tacos! Both easy, and ready in about 30 minutes!
sazon chicken
Sazon chicken is a flavorfully seasoned bone-in chicken thigh recipe! Seasoned with an easy homemade spice blend and marinated in juices make this bursting with citrus and spiced flavor. Everything cooks up in one pan!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: American
ingredients
4 bone-in chicken thighs
2 red onions
1 green pepper, you’ll use about 3/4 of it
1/2 cup sour orange marinade (or fresh sour orange juice)
4 garlic cloves, grated
3 teaspoons homemade sazon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 of one lime zested (just zest half of one lime)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1 cup water
instructions
1. To make the marinade, in a bowl combine the olive oil, grated garlic cloves, lime juice and lime zest, oregano, cumin, and salt & pepper. Stir well to combine.
2. Remove the skin from the bone-in chicken thighs and place chicken in a large bowl. Season with 3 teaspoons of the homemade sazon and the 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, making sure to season both sides of the chicken. Pour in the homemade marinade and the sour orange marinade.
2. In a medium pan heat 1 cup of water to boiling. Add in the seasoned chicken thighs and pour in all the marinade from the bowl as well, sprinkle the tops of the chicken with the 1/8 teaspoon of chicken bouillon. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer covered for 30 minutes.
3. While the chicken simmers, slice the red onions into thin slices, chop about 3/4 of the green pepper into pieces about an inch big, and cut the lime into wedges.
4. After the chicken has simmered for 30 minutes, flip each thigh so it is now face-down and increase heat to medium. Cover and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
5. After 15 minutes, remove the cover and increase heat to high to create a boil and flip chicken so it is now face up again. Add in the red onions and the peppers. At this point, you are cooking off all the liquid in the pan. Cook for 10 minutes then remove the chicken, chicken should have in internal temp of 165. Cook the peppers and onions for another 10 minutes at medium high heat to caramelize them. You may need to carefully spoon out any excess oil. As the peppers and onions stick to the pan, occasionally add 1-2 tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan and allow the onions to caramelize even more. If anything is burning, reduce heat to medium.
Serve the chicken topped with the peppers and onions and extra lime wedges!
Sazon Grilled Chicken
This Latin American-inspired Sazon Grilled Chicken is simple to make and incredibly flavorful. These chicken thighs and drumsticks are coated with sazon, then grilled over charcoal.
Of course, you can use a pellet grill or a gas grill for cooking this fantastic chicken! We’ve also developed an oven-cooked version of this recipe! Keep reading for the details.
What is Sazon?
Sazon is a Latin spice blend used on meats, vegetables, rice, and beans. This earthy spice mixture contains cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. It also contains crushed annatto seeds called achiote. We recommend looking for achiote powder if looking for a faster solution. The achiote provides a rich red color and provides a slight smokiness to the rub.
Sazon Grilled Chicken Ingredients:
- 6 chicken thighs, bone-in
- 6 chicken drumsticks
- Olive oil
- Sazon
- Jalapeno OR serrano pepper
- Limes
- Cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
How to make Sazon Grilled Chicken:
- Trim off any excess skin and fat from the chicken legs and thighs. Blot them dry with paper towels.
- Place chicken in a large glass dish.
- Blend the olive oil, lime juice, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro (or parsley), sazon, chili pepper, garlic, and onion in a food processor or blender. Add a tablespoon or two of water if the marinade is too thick.
- Pour mixture over chicken. Use tongs to turn the chicken and coat them well. Cover dish with plastic wrap, and place into the refrigerator for 3 hours.
- Prepare grill for 350 degrees F.
- Place seasoned chicken on grill, close lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Turn chicken, and cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Check several pieces to confirm doneness.
- Some of the drumsticks might cook a little faster. Please remove them and keep them covered.
- Once cooked, place chicken onto a clean serving platter. Garnish with chopped chili and cilantro.
- Store leftover sazon grilled chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Rewarm at 325 degrees in the oven or on the stovetop for better flavor and consistency.
Serving Sazon Grilled Chicken:
This recipe makes enough for 6 people with 2 pieces of chicken per person, or 12 people with 1 piece of chicken per person. If you’re serving lots of appetizers, other meats, and side dishes at your gathering, plan on 1 piece per person. For those with voracious appetites, plan on 2 pieces, and double the recipe if you are serving more than 6 people! Serve this sazon grilled chicken with one these side dishes for the perfect meal!
Tips:
- Cooking method: Bake this sazon chicken in the oven for 35-40 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Strive for an internal temperature of 175 degrees F. As always, it’s a good idea to have a reliable instant-read thermometer handy.
- Make-Ahead: You can certainly season the chicken and store it in resealable plastic bags in your freezer for up to a month. Thaw them out as needed and cook as directed.
- Chicken: While this sazon grilled chicken recipe calls for chicken thighs and legs, you can also use a whole chicken cut up, just chicken breasts, or cook a whole chicken. Adjust seasonings accordingly. Use 1/2 cup of sazon seasoning in the marinade for a whole chicken and 1/4 cup for 4 medium breasts. If using boneless chicken thighs, reduce your cooking time.
Sazon Grilled Chicken
Sazon spice mixture is used in a lot of Latin American cooking, including rice, beans, stews, and soups, but it makes a great grilled chicken rub. These chicken thighs and drumsticks are coated with sazon, then grilled over charcoal. Of course, you are not limited in what type of grill you use, and you can bake the chicken in the oven as well.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American BBQ, Fusion, Latin American
Keyword: bbq chicken, sazon, sazon grilled chicken
Prep Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 454kcal
Equipment
- Grill or oven
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs bone-in
- 6 chicken drumsticks
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons sazon
- 1 large serrano or jalapeno pepper seeded and diced
- 1/3 cup chopped white onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Trim off any excess skin and fat from the chicken legs and thighs.
- Place chicken in a large glass dish.
- Blend the olive oil, lime juice, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro (or parsley), sazon, salt, chili pepper, garlic, and onion in a food processor or blender. Add a tablespoon or two of water if the marinade is too thick.
- Pour mixture over chicken. Use tongs to turn the chicken and coat them well. Cover dish with plastic wrap, and place into the refrigerator for 3 hours.
- Prepare grill for 350 degrees F, direct heat.
- Place marinated chicken on the grill, close lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Turn chicken, and cook for another 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Check several pieces to confirm doneness.Please note that the drumsticks might cook faster. Remove them from the grill, and keep covered until the other pieces are done.
- Once cooked, remove chicken from the grill and place onto a clean serving platter. Garnish with the other 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley. Serve with extra lime wedges (optional).
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Rewarm in the oven or on stovetop for better flavor and consistency. Leftover chicken can be added to soups, stews, and casseroles.
- See notes section below for oven cooking instructions.
Notes
Tips:
Cooking method: Bake chicken in the oven for 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Strive for an internal temperature of 175 degrees F. As always, it’s a good idea to have a digital food thermometer.
Make Ahead: You can certainly season the chicken and store in resealable plastic bags in your freezer for up to a month. Thaw them out as needed and cook as directed.
Chicken: While this recipe calls for chicken thigh and legs, you can also use a whole chicken cut up, just chicken breasts, or cook a whole chicken. Adjust seasonings accordingly. Use a ½ cup of sazon seasoning for a whole chicken, and ¼ cup for 4 medium breasts. If using boneless chicken thighs, reduce cooking time.
Nutrition
Calories: 454kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 180mg | Sodium: 1054mg | Potassium: 424mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 143IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg