Oven-Roasted Chicken Thighs with Green Chili Sauce
We have a secret to share: chicken thighs are the unsung heroes of the poultry world. They’re inexpensive, very difficult to overcook, and have lots more flavor than a chicken breast.
CHICKEN THIGHS
Vegetable oil
8 bone-in chicken thighs
Cooking spray, for coating chicken
Kosher salt and coarsely ground fresh black pepper
1 cup Green Chili Sauce (below)
2 cups cooked white rice
1 cup cotija cheese
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
GREEN CHILI SAUCE
This sauce is great as a topping for any type of cooked or grilled meat, or even tofu .
5 medium tomatillos, husked
3 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 whole shallots, peeled
1 Roma tomato, halved and seeded
1 whole jalapeño
2 tablespoons grape-seed oil
1 tablespoon salt (kosher or sea)
1⁄2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (leaves and stems)
1 tablespoon honey
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1⁄2 lime
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
31⁄2 tablespoons cannaoil CHICKEN THIGHS
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Place a wire rack on top of the foil.
Dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel, trim any excess fat around the edges, and put them on the rack. Spray them with cooking spray, and season with salt and pepper.
Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat (avoid the bone) registers between 180°F and 185°F, about 35 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
While the chicken rests, warm the sauce in a small saucepan over low heat. 6. Serve the chicken thighs over the rice, topped with the sauce, cotija, and cilantro.
GREEN CHILLI SAUCE
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a large bowl, toss the tomatillos, garlic, shallots, tomato, and jalapeño with the grape-seed oil until the vegetables are coated. Add the salt and toss again.
Transfer the vegetables to a baking sheet and roast, turning the vegetables halfway through the process, until they are charred and soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the oven and let them cool.
When the vegetables are cool, slice the top off the jalapeño pepper, remove the skins from the garlic, and transfer the vegetables to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.
Add the cilantro, honey, lime zest, juice, and pepper and pulse a few times to blend.
With the machine running, add the cannaoil in a steady stream through the feed tube. Stop and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if desired. Pulse until the sauce has the consistency of a thick puree. If needed, add 1 tablespoon water to thin the sauce.