Description
There’s nothing better than a recipe that can be made nearly entirely in one pan. This Cumin Chicken is deeply savory from the cumin and roasted garlic with a light acidity from the cilantro and lime juice. This dish hits all your taste buds, and the best part is how easy it is to get from oven to table!
Ingredients
- FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 4 whole Chicken Thighs, Bone-in, Skin-on
- ¼ cups Ground Cumin, Or To Taste
- Salt And Pepper, to taste
- Oil For Cooking
- 1 whole Onion, Sliced
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 2 whole Limes, Juiced
- ¼ cups Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
- ½ cups Chicken Broth Or Water
- FOR THE CHIMICHURRI:
- ½ cups Fresh Italian Parsley, Chopped
- ¼ cups Red Wine Vinegar
- ¼ cups Roasted Garlic Cloves
- 1 whole Shallot
- 1 whole Red Chili Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ teaspoons Dried Oregano
- ¼ cups Fresh Cilantro
- ½ teaspoons Cumin
- ½ teaspoons Black Pepper
- FOR THE RICE:
- 2 cups Cooked Rice
- 1 whole Lime, Juiced And Zested
- ¼ cups Chopped Cilantro
Preparation
For the chicken:
Preheat oven to 450ºF and place large oven safe pan over medium high heat.
Pat dry chicken and liberally cover with cumin, salt and pepper. Massage into chicken.
Add oil with a high smoke point (like avocado) to the pan. Place chicken skin side down and sear for 5 minutes. Flip and sear for another 5 minutes.
Nest sliced onion and garlic cloves around the chicken. Add lime juice, cilantro, and chicken broth, being careful not to pour on top of crispy skin. Place into oven for 20–30 minutes, until chicken is cooked and liquid is absorbed.
For the chimichurri:
One chicken is in the oven, add all ingredients for the chimichurri into a food processor and pulse until well blended. Refrigerate.
For the rice:
Cook rice according to instructions on package. One cooked, mix with lime juice, zest, and chopped cilantro. Let cook slightly in the pan until lime juice is absorbed.
Serve chicken and onions over rice and top with chimichurri.
Notes:
• I typically use either fresh or roasted garlic for the chimichurri. Fresh can have a sharp bite, so roasted can be used as well. If you can’t get roasted garlic at your local grocery store, add a few extra cloves to the chicken. Once chicken is done, remove 3 garlic cloves and pulse in food processor with remaining ingredients.
• This makes a lot of chimichurri! See my recipe for chimichurri chicken wings for the leftovers if you have them.
• If you don’t like cilantro, substitute basil and replace the cumin with thyme. You may also eliminate the lime and substitute red wine vinegar where it calls for lime juice.
