Puerto Rican Cookout: Pastelón and Grilled Chicken | America's Test Kitchen Full Episode (S23 E26)

Test cook Lan Lam cooks host Julia Collin Davison Grilled Chicken with Adobo and Sazón. Tasting expert Jack Bishop challenges hosts Julia and Bridget Lancaster to a head-to-head tasting of medium jarred salsa. Test cook Dan Souza makes host Bridget Lancaster Pastelón (Puerto Rican Sweet Plantain and Picadillo Casserole).
Get our Pastelón recipe: cooks.io/3PDB4Op
Get our Grilled Chicken with Adobo and Sazón recipe: cooks.io/4asePDJ
Read our Jarred Medium Salsa review: cooks.io/3VG3sU1
Read our Wine Tumblers review: cooks.io/3JgLPCO
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ABOUT US: The mission of America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) is to empower and inspire confidence, community, and creativity in the kitchen. Founded in 1992, the company is the leading multimedia cooking resource serving millions of fans with TV shows (America’s Test Kitchen, Cook's Country, and America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation), magazines (Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country), cookbooks, a podcast (Proof), FAST channels, short-form video series, and the ATK All-Access subscription for digital content. Based in a state-of-the-art 15,000-square-foot test kitchen in Boston’s Seaport District, ATK has earned the trust of home cooks and culinary experts alike thanks to its one-of-a-kind processes and best-in-class techniques. Fifty full-time (admittedly very meticulous) test cooks, editors, and product testers spend their days tweaking every variable to find the very best recipes, equipment, ingredients, and techniques. Learn more at www.americastestkitchen.com/.
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[@shezanm]

So nice watching cooking videos with no music playing.

[@cdawg_sf]

That chicken looks fab. Another gem of a demo from Lan

[@magalisuarez2397]

Yeahhh arroz con gandules, un aguacate Y una Ensenada de lechuga y tomatoes, vinagra blanco y Goya Xtra virgen oil. And wallah!! Let's eat❤

[@jenniferpatterson4964]

That’s dinner! Our Easter dinner every year. Some times we do pernil, too. Delicious!

[@DvLnDsGyZ]

All you need is arroz con gandules on the side with a few tostones 🤤

[@roverradar]

I definitely would have both of them over a nice large mound of just cooked rice too. Speaking of adobo, although there are variations of the dish, the one I grew up having lots of was flavored and spiced with salt, pepper, peppercorns, crushed garlic, vinegar, and dried laurel leaf. Sometimes chopped (quartered) potatoes would be added towards the end, before the selected meat fat (chicken and/or pork) starts rendering off its oil. Which makes it all the more delicious! Thank you kindly, and Have a great Monday, and Week!

[@roverradar]

Oh picadillo, another favorite dish I grew up having lots of! It starts with sautéed onions, garlic, and tomatoes, before adding cubed potatoes, ground pork/beef, seasoning, and some water (just enough for all that to cook, but not soupy). Then it would be recycled a day or 2 after, into omelet patties - fish out everything except the liquid, and mix with beaten and seasoned eggs. Then fry in little patties, and serve over rice. Great anytime of the day (breakfast, lunch, or dinner)!

[@marienhornyak1941]

Oh! Monterey Jack! I’ve been using Parmesan, but I’m definitely going to try it with MJ next time!🇵🇷

[@mariaboletsis3188]

It all looks incredible!!!! My mouth is watering!!!!

[@natalialopes719]

That chicken looks so good!!

[@meikgeik]

I much prefer the Cuban Havana style picadillo more. Bell peppers, onions, garlic, tomato sauce, tons of oregano, Barilla/Goya adobo seasoning, olives (with brine), raisins. Served over rice, or in a casserole with mashed potatoes... that's been my birthday meal every year for 30+ years. That said, your style PR Picadillo looks way better than what I've had in the past. I've had it from PR restaurants and friends who's parents came from PR and it's always very very wet, almost like a stew with no binder. Maduros>>>>Tostones any day of the week. I miss them so so much. It's very hard to find the ripened ones here in the desert, and if I leave them on the counter to ripen like I did in Florida, they dry up before they get ripe. :(

[@roverradar]

I didn't know there were other versions of picadillo (found that out only years later) - that one you described sounds like a cranked up version of the one I had many years ago. Thank you for sharing!

[@chrissmarie455]

Idk what they gave you but Puerto Ricans make it the same way with peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes sauce and cilantro or recao all these mentioned make up the sofrito, he literally made it exactly how we do. I’ve had Cuban style and I’m honestly don’t see a difference except the Cuban style being much drier but flavor pretty much the same since the same ingredients are being used except we don’t use raisins 😣 same with Dominican Picadillo same ingredient profile and flavors 🤷🏻‍♀️ that being said as a Puerto Rican who lives in PR and lived in Florida for 11 years I never had actual good authentic Puerto Rican food like on the island, can’t even compare so not worth spending money on it, make it at home.

[@mofongotron]

Puerto Rican here chiming in: it's not a Puerto Rican cookout unless there's some legume representation (arroz con habichuelas, arroz con handles, etc.). Also, don't lump the best store bought salsa segment into an allegedly Puerto Rican cookout thing; salsa (the food at least) isn't traditionally a Puerto Rican thing.

[@RobertSaxy]

Yep

[@rhsab1]

Fantastic ladies! Got to try this one.

[@rociocastillosavelesky5792]

My mom always used julienned string beans

[@musicgirl8152]

Looks delicious! ❤❤😋

[@corgeousgeorge]

Lan is the best!

[@markfinley7973]

I love Lan!!

[@byronholmes2496]

Good day to all.

[@irvingdog01]

lol. That grill was, perhaps relative to my own kettles, clean as a whistle, BEFORE she started scrubbing it

[@sstace69]

It's easy to do with assistant's cleaning every thing 😂

[@theoriginalbridgetconnors]

​@@sstace69I'm guessing you've never seen their grill care videos.

[@sstace69]

@@theoriginalbridgetconnors They demonstrate how to clean them. But the day to day cleaning isn't done by the host I promise you 🤣

[@theoriginalbridgetconnors]

@@sstace69 Promises promises.

[@savannarichard6059]

Yummy

[@2Hearts3]

Be right over... 🍗🏆👍

[@DavidWilliams-ie9xj]

Isn't it pronounced "Sa- zone"

[@averyaveryp]

what does the vinegar before the spice rub do ?

[@drivem42]

Cuts the fatty ness of the chicken skin

[@jenniferpatterson4964]

Tenderizes, too.

[@SanJoseDale]

I don’t see that dry adobo seasoning in the written recipe?

[@Michael_Courtney]

I have the cookbook that supposedly has all the recipes from the 2024 season but I don't see this one (chicken) in the book.

[@sandrah7512]

Season 24 of ATK is still airing on PBS. This recipe is from Season 23. Pages 698-699 - Chapter 18: "Let's Get Grilling: Poultry, Seafood and Vegetables". Next time you're stuck, try the index at the back of the book.

[@clarkreimer9448]

If you have the book with the Season 23 addendum, it's on page 1142

[@marilynsnider8183]

I can't eat traditional salsas, so I make my own. I'm allergic to peppers.

[@DvLnDsGyZ]

Bendito...

[@PassiveAgressive319]

I love plantains; so funny how they don’t taste like bananas whatsoever

[@agnesmedina9878]

Sazón and Adobo are two different seasonings in Puerto Rican cookery. The original Pastelón from Puerto Rico doesn't have cheese in it! Egg is used for binding.

[@ELENTE_]

El pastelón si lleva queso.. no se que pastelon are you talking about..

[@agnesmedina9878]

El Pastelón de Maduros original NO lo lleva. Si ve las recetas de las abuelas de antes (no las modernas) no le añaden queso. Mi madre que en paz descanse no le añadia queso ni mi abuela tampoco. Somos de la isla del pueblo de Yabucoa. El mismo chef que hizo la receta lo explicaen este video. Que originalmente no lleva queso pero las modernas si. Yo jamas le añado queso al mio. Busque por Google para que se informe de donde viene la historia de de porque le añaden queso al Pastelón de Maduro moderno. Empezaron con los Boricuas que salieron de Puerto Rico y se fueron a vivir a Brooklyn NY cercas de los Italianos y ahi fue como empezo lo del Pastelón llamado Puerto Rican Lasagna que de lasagna no tiene nada nuestro Pastelón. Gracias y Buenas noches! www.recetas-puertorico.com/articulos/pastelon-la-lasana-de-platano-puertorriqueno

[@chrissmarie455]

@@ELENTE_ell se refiere a la receta ORIGINAL nuestros tatarabuelos no estaban bañando el pastelon con queso como lo hacemos ahora, no era lasagna 😆

[@roderickcampbell2105]

Lan is superb. Well so is everyone really but Lan is another level. Does not hurt that she is also beautiful. But I only watch for the cooking.

[@lulumendez9403]

Eggs for binding, no cheese.

[@theoriginalbridgetconnors]

So leave off the cheese. There, problem solved!

[@suzannes5888]

WHOA, I don't eat meat, but I grill and smoke foods. I LOVE that you said that you love MSG! ME TOO!!! The FDA haa written in an official research paper stating that there are NO KNOWN INCIDENTS of mag allergies. Do people even realize THAT MSG is a core factor in the human biome - you need it to exist. JEEEZ, people if MSG was toxic, China would not exist- and Americans look at all the food you eat with MSG, while you complain about it. Do you even know? 😂😮

[@jaymanuel3396]

We Puerto Ricans pronounce it sah-sone. Not say-son.

[@Entrailss]

QSJ… deja que la gente hablen como quieran.

[@cesar.ramon.perez.medero]

There’s always one like you who needs to make a stupid comment rather than appreciating the fact that our food is getting recognition and love on such a huge platform. Cállate.

[@SECERETSONG]

Those words are not Puerto Rican words though. They're words from the Spanish language used throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. But you're right, they are saying them incorrectly.

[@dianedarling9639]

Julia and Lan are not P R

[@ArtTheSinger]

@@Entrailsseat a 🐓

[@JohnCipriano-nl8cp]

Dose me no good when we can’t have a barbecue in my small apartment to which we live in now.

[@CrimeVid]

Get two chickens, break 'em down, marinade the legs, give the breasts to the dog (he doesn't need sauce).

[@RogerEbert-vy5pv]

Acid, aluminum and heat. Great combination !!!

[@billcook4768]

Very similar to Dominican food. Should have brought in Big Papi to help. Or Keenan.

[@Exiled_Rouge]

The pronunciations are brutal. Sweet mercy. "Sayn-soon", "Ah-chay-o-tay"... have heard these words spoken or read them and make a guess at the pronunciation?

[@sandrah7512]

Their website says they have hired linguistic experts to guide pronunciation of non-English words (among other things). With other videos, about as many have commented that their pronunciations of other non-English (and not Spanish) words are spot on as say they're way off. Maybe they need a better Latinx expert?

[@davidjones535]

How about a episode thats diabetic friendly pleased!

[@sandrah7512]

ATK published an entire cookbook (400 recipes) dedicated to diabetic cooking over five years ago.

[@Metoobie]

So what is in this, "saison"? All that means is, "season" in French...

[@waynejkl4035]

It's "sazón," so yes, it's Spanish for seasoning. LOTS of recipes online for the different ingredients that can be used to make it, depending on where you're at.

[@Metoobie]

@@waynejkl4035 I appreciate the reply; so.. what's in it? What would you use? What's the purpose of it (so that I could substitute as necessary) . I'm not that familiar with Spanish cuisine... I can make a pretty decent pulpo and I have a feeling there are some similar elements..

[@waynejkl4035]

@@Metoobie I'd suggest doing a search for it: sazon, not saison, and reading about the different ingredients, which differ slightly from region to region and therefore achieve different things. And sometimes you just have to taste it to see if you like it!

[@Metoobie]

@@waynejkl4035 Awesome suggestion, I'll look it up! I love making seasonings from scratch instead of just buying them from the store. Cheers!

[@SpiritOfTheHeretic]

I love these three videos but salsa has nothing to do with Puerto Rico...it's not Mexico.

[@dtrex392]

Salsa trials were only 3 days ago. Seriously, ATK?

[@loretta3203]

I love ATK, but you really need a Latina on there. Your Puerto Rican/Cuban foods are not even close to authentic. I had to turn off the sound. Every time they say sayzon instead of sahson, it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard! What ever happened to Natalie Estrada?

[@jenniferpatterson4964]

I think she was on Cook’s Country. She’s still there, just not on camera.

[@loretta3203]

@@jenniferpatterson4964 If she’s there, I would hope she could tell them how to pronounce Spanish words, even if she’s not familiar with the dishes they’re making…

[@jenniferpatterson4964]

@@loretta3203 Right on!

[@sandrah7512]

Natalie was with ATK for a little over a year in 2018-2019. She left around the time her Cook's Country episodes began airing on PBS in the fall of 2019. It appears she's spent her time since primarily working at wineries in California. Did you miss the part where they credited the development of their Grilled Chicken with Adobo and Sazón to their colleague David Pazmiño and his Puerto Rican grandmother. David was also the developer of ATK's Pastelón recipe as well, also based on his grandmother's version (but hers did not have cheese).

[@loretta3203]

@@sandrah7512 apparently I did miss that part. In that case, shame on him for not correcting their butchering of the word sazon. Thanks for the update on Natalie. I enjoyed her episodes.

[@WastrelWay]

Just use Italian dressing to marinate the chicken. That's pretty much what you've got there, except the herbs. If you don't like the stuff from the store, make your own Italian dressing.

[@Evyann305]

No way, not even close.

[@bjosfbjosf1802]

Love, love, love ATK and learned so many wonderful recipes from your channel but have to say the banana lasagna sounds really disgusting.

[@MSloan-qt6gl]

Plantains only look like bananas.

[@cesar.ramon.perez.medero]

It’s a plantain. Also, calling another culture’s food “disgusting” is racist.

[@Evyann305]

It's not bananas Karen it's plantains and it tastes amazing.

[@elmerbigdaddyperez5697]

OMG! That is not how you make sofrito! We use bell peppers and you don't add oil! And please pronounce correctly!

[@katiemallak8419]

The past couple season of ATK is full of recipes that I have no desire to make and don't seem appetizing. I was watching old episodes all weekend and found a bunch that I want to make. How about getting back to normal, American dishes? Definitly will try the adobe seasoning, but not going to make anything with foreign ingredients.

[@jenniferpatterson4964]

You do realize that Puerto Rico is an American territory, right? People born there are American citizens, and are issued SSNs at birth. No passport required to travel there and there are even reps in congress specifically from there and voted in. Won’t go into further detail than that, but PR is part of America. They are essentially cooking regional American dishes in this episode.

[@TwistedD85]

Normal American dishes? Sure, I could go for some. I think we had a bit of Sioux already. How about Apache? Cherokee? Chippewa? Navajo? Pueblo? Choctaw? Iroquois? 🤔

[@waynejkl4035]

How many times do I need to see them make lasagna???

[@cesar.ramon.perez.medero]

Racist 😂

[@lamulatonagrande9835]

Merica !!!!

[@TomSnyder--theJaz]

Why does ATK think that Lan needs Julia's input? (Mm-hmm, yeah, Oh, it smells good, OK, Ah!, All right! Oh, that smells good, Oh ho ho ho, yes yes please, blah, blah blah)