Honey & Chili Chicken Thighs with Creamy Cilantro Sauce

By lkalemba

Ingredients

• For the chicken thighs:
• 2 2 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 cup amber beer
• 2 2 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 1 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 10 10 1 1/2 skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• Roughly chopped cilantro, for garnish
• For the sauce:
• 1 1 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 1 1/2 1 1/2 1/2 cups loosely packed cilantro
• 1 1 1 lime, zest and juice
• 1/4 1/4 1/4 teaspoon salt

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from thekitchn.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F.


Whisk together the honey, chili powder, beer, cider vinegar, and olive oil in a large mixing bowl. Add the chicken thighs to the bowl and stir until the thighs are evenly coated. At this point, the thighs can be baked immediately or refrigerated for up to three hours.

Arrange the chicken thighs on a baking sheet and drizzle any dressing remaining in the bowl over top. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through and the thickest part of the thighs register 165°F with an instant read thermometer.

While the thighs are roasting, make the cilantro sauce. Combine the sour cream, cilantro, lime zest and juice, and salt in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process continuously until the cilantro is minced very fine and the sauce is light green in color. Taste and add more lime juice, salt, or cilantro to taste. The cilantro sauce can be made the day ahead and kept refrigerated until serving.

Serve the chicken thighs immediately after roasting. Spoon any extra glaze from the pan over the hot chicken and garnish with roughly chopped cilantro. Serve the cilantro sauce alongside.

Recipe Notes:

• Grilled Chicken Thighs: These chicken thighs can also be grilled over high heat for 4 minutes on each side with the grill covered.


• Bigger or Smaller Crowds: This recipe can be halved for smaller crowds or doubled for even larger crowds. Just make sure the thighs are spaced about an inch apart; roast in batches if necessary.