Cilantro Chicken


This was yummy!! I posted this on last weeks “Menu Monday” and wanted to follow up with it.

It takes a bit of planning because the chicken has to marinate in the cilantro/garlic mix. I put it together one evening before bed, cooked it up the next morning. I was going to be busy in the afternoon and wanted the main part of our dinner all done. We reheated it at dinner time.

The recipe was one my daughter Hannah had tried and shared with me. You can find the original version here: http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/08/13/cilantro-chicken/

I made a few changes to it all and will share that. First off, I used chicken legs in my version because that is what I had in the freezer. Second, I baked it in the oven and not on the grill. I also used more chicken than the original recipe called for and made a bigger batch of the cilantro/garlic mixture.

Here is my version...

I used the blender to mix up the cilantro, garlic and olive oil. I reminded me a lot pesto .. only with cilantro.. :) I used a large pan to put my chicken in and then covered it with the cilantro mix, and then covered the pan with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight...




The next day I laid out the chicken pieces in two baking dishes. One is a 9x13 the other an 11x15.. but 2 9x13 pans would work just fine. 




After baking I brushed on a layer of sweet chili sauce right as it came out of the oven...





I served it with rice and a salad.







Cilantro Garlic Chicken


4#'s chicken legs
1 bunch fresh cilantro
½ cup olive oil
10 cloves of garlic
salt
Sweet chili sauce (approx ¼ to a ½ cup)

I put the chicken legs in a large pan (you could also divide it into gallon size zip lock bags but I did not have any on hand).

Chop the ends off the cilantro and discard. Chop up the rest and put into the blender. Add olive oil and garlic. Blend until smooth.

Sprinkle salt over the chicken legs, cover with the cilantro/garlic mix. Smoosh it around to make sure all the chicken legs are covered. Cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge to marinate for 4 to 12 hours. I actually had mine in the fridge for probably 14 hours due to making it before going to bed and cooking it the next day.

When done marinating lay chicken pieces in 2 – 9 x 13 pans. Bake at 400 for 45 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked.

Remove from oven. Brush sweet chili sauce over the top of the chicken. Allow to cool and enjoy. Can be served with rice or pasta and a fresh garden salad.



Notes: The amount of garlic is flexible. If you love garlic you can use more, if your not a big garlic fan, use less. The other thing I found out was that cleaning the baking dishes afterwards was a pain! Next time I'll be sure to line the pans with parchment paper to make clean up a lot easier.

 

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