ROASTED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH CILANTRO SAUCE

I’ve got the perfect sheet pan homestyle dinner option today. This chicken is marinated in fresh garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, oil and spices and then oven-roasted. It’s roasted until the chicken thighs are moist on the inside and crispy seasoned skin on the outside. Accompanying green sauce is so easy to make with the fresh color and flavor from cilantro. It’s fresh, tangy with little heat from jalapeno pepper.

SOME NOTES ABOUT THIS RECIPE

I love sharing a recipe that my family loves and is kid approved. We really enjoy ordering rotisserie chicken but many times I am not satisfied. What I find in takeout rotisserie chicken is that it’s very salty. Roasting chicken thighs is less intimidating especially if you are new to cooking.

This recipe is so easy and is very hands off. All you need to do is just marinate the chicken, throw it on the sheet pan and let the oven do the work. I added some potatoes but you can add other vegetables as well.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

CHICKEN THIGHS– Chicken thighs tend to have a lot more taste than bland breast meat and are more economical. The meat tends to stay juicy and tender after cooking. It’s also very hard to overcook chicken thighs. If you accidentally leave them roasting a little longer that won’t result in meat that is tough. I like to trim off any excess fat and leave the skin on. Make sure to get the marinade under the skin.

GARLIC- For this much chicken I used an entire head of garlic. I always make sure to use fresh garlic for marinades.

POWDERED SPICES- I used garlic & onion powder. Cumin, oregano and paprika that go really well together. I also used cayenne red pepper, which is not very spicy. This was the right amount of flavor. If you like a heavy or more spice flavor you can easily double on the same ingredients, except the salt. Once you have your marinade ready, give it a taste and adjust.

WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE- This flavor is savory and sweet with a distinct tang from vinegar. If you don’t have this you can certainly leave it out.

OIL- I used light olive oil. You can do any neutral oil of your choice like vegetable, canola or avocado oil.

GREEN CILANTRO SAUCE

This is a garlicky, lemony, cilantro creamy sauce made with sour cream. I’ve only added a small piece of jalapeno pepper but you can certainly add more.

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