Chef and cookbook author, Amalia Moreno Damgaard has ideas to add some Latin flair to your holiday barbeques.  

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Amalia’s recipe:

Serves 4 to 6 people

( 4 teaspoons minced garlic
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon crushed oregano
Dash ground allspice
1 tablespoon ground achiote
1 teaspoon condimented achiote paste
½ cup Seville orange juice, or 1 part of fresh lime, ½ part orange, and ½ part grapefruit juice
2 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 chicken thighs, skinless, boneless, visible fat removed
Fresh or frozen banana leaves, washed, wiped with a paper towel on both sides)

            –In the blender, combine the garlic, cumin, oregano, allspice, ground and achiote paste, juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper, and blend to a fine consistency sauce.
            –Put the chicken in a bowl and combine it with the sauce, cover, and marinate overnight.
            –For even marinating, move the chicken pieces around the marinade at least once, preferably at about half marinating time.

            Preheat the grill or griddle. Season the grill or add a light coating of oil to the griddle and grill chicken to medium brown about 3 minutes per side. Cook the marinade in a small skillet. Transfer the chicken to a ceramic or oven proof dish with a lid lined with two layers of banana leaves, pour the sauce on top, and enclose the chicken well in the leaves and cover with the lid. Put the dish on the far side of the grill – or oven at 350F – to cook the chicken through, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve in the cooking bowl with the pickled onions on the side.