peruvian chicken with green sauce

I ate a version of this chicken at Beauty and Essex and felt it would make an easy entertaining dish for those weekend or summer guests. Spice rub on any meat is very versatile and forgiving as is barbecuing so both these qualities make this dish doubly doable. Don't skip the green sauce as it tastes great slathered on the chicken and the grilled ribbon vegetables. 

Time: Under 1 hour (more for marinating)
Servings: 4
Level: Medium

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ pounds bone-in Chicken Legs or Thighs
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Carrots, cut into ribbons
• 1 Zucchini, cut into ribbons
• 1 Yellow Squash, cut into ribbons
• Salt and Pepper
• Lemon (option)

 
Green Sauce

• 1 cup Cilantro leaves (not stems)
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Greek Yogurt
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ¼ teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1-2 Tablespoons of water to get the blender running

 
Spice Mix

• 1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon dried Oregano
  
• ½ teaspoon ground Black Pepper

PREPARATION

1. Mix the Spice Mix seasonings with 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, 1teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar 2 cloves of garlic to create a paste.
2. Set aside some of the paste. Dump the rest in a plastic bag with the Chicken Legs or Chicken Thighs and rub in into the meat thoroughly.  Marinate at least 2 hours in the fridge.
3. Use a peeler to cut Carrots, Zucchini and Squash into ribbons if you don’t have a mandolin.
4. Place Carrots, Zucchini and Squash in a bowl with a drizzle of Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper. 
5. Preheat oven to 375° or heat grill if you have one!
6. Place all of the ingredients for the green sauce in a blender and blend through.  Add only a little bit of water at a time to get the blender going and to get it to a good consistency (not too thin/not too thick).
7. Remove Chicken from the marinade and place on a baking sheet lined with Aluminum Foil or Parchment.  Season generously with Salt on both sides.
8. Bake chicken for about 25-30 minutes for small Chicken Legs or until the internal temperature measures 165° or until the juices run clear when the chicken is cut.  Larger pieces will need longer cooking time.  
9. Heat a grill pan on a stove (or use a regular frying pan if you don’t have a grill pan) and lay some of the pieces down.  This will cook very quickly about 30 seconds to 1 minute, until your vegetables have a nice char.  Repeat until all the vegetables are cooked. (Give it a good squeeze of lemon.)