WEEKNIGHT CHICKEN CAN get
pretty boring. My goal was to liven up
dinner while keeping it real on a busy
weeknight: maximum fl avor with mini-
mal work and cleanup. My path to these
goals went through South America—
specifi cally, Peru.
One of the test kitchen’s all-time
favorite chicken marinades is inspired
by the fl avors of Peruvian roast chicken:
mint, chile, lime, smoke, and spice. This
complex, concentrated, and vibrant
marinade comes together quickly in the
blender, which only adds to its appeal.
Here’s how it starts: You toss a seeded
habanero chile in the blender along
with a handful of mint leaves, olive oil,
some smoked paprika and cumin for
earthy depth, potent dried oregano,
six whole garlic cloves, sugar, salt and
pepper, and lime juice and zest. Can you
almost smell it?
I poured this bold, spicy marinade
into a zipper-lock bag and sealed four
chicken leg quarters inside, pressing
the bag with my fi ngers to ensure even
coverage. Refrigerating the marinating
chicken for at least an hour (or up to
12 hours) helped deliver the biggest
kick of fl avor.
I needed vegetables that made sense
with the dish’s profi le. Chunks of sweet
potatoes fi t the bill, and red onion
wedges provided a complementary
subtle sweetness. Caulifl ower fl orets
turned nutty and tender as they cooked,
adding another dimension.
But how to cook it all together with
the least amount of fuss? The veg-
etables took longer to cook than the
chicken, so roasting everything at once
required removing the chicken halfway
through; plus, starting everything at
the same time meant the vegetables
were crowded on the edges and failed
to brown.
I found it easier to give the vegetables
a 15-minute head start in a 425-degree
oven; once the caulifl ower started to
pick up some nice color on its edges,
I pushed all the vegetables to one side
of the baking sheet and arranged the
chicken legs on the other. Forty minutes
later, the legs hit their target internal
temperature of 175 degrees and the
sweet potatoes, caulifl ower, and onion
were tender.
With fl avorful chicken juices and
the vibrant marinade deliciously
mingling together on the baking
sheet, a colleague suggested tossing
the vegetables and juices with peppery
arugula to add fresh fl avor and a pop
of vibrant color while the chicken
rested. Boring? No. Inspired and
smart? Defi nitely.Cooking in Stages
Our two-step process ensures that everything is done at the same time.
APRIL/MAY 2019 • COOK’S COUNTRY 27Peruvian-Style
Chicken Dinner
We wanted a weeknight chicken supper with big
fl avors—without a big pile of dishes to clean.
by Cecelia Jenkins
ONE PANONE-PAN PERUVIAN CHICKEN
WITH CAULIFLOWER AND
SWEET POTATOES
Serves 4
You can substitute 1 tablespoon of
minced serrano chile for the habanero,
if desired. Wear gloves when handling
the chile.6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil,
divided
1⁄4 cup fresh mint leaves
6 garlic cloves, peeled
31⁄2 teaspoons pepper, divided
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons grated lime zest
plus 1⁄4 cup juice (2 limes)
2 teaspoons table salt, divided
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1⁄2 habanero chile, stemmed and
seeded
4 (10-ounce) chicken leg quarters,
trimmed
1 small head caulifl ower (11⁄2 pounds),
cored and cut into 11⁄2-inch fl orets
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and
cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small red onion, halved and sliced
through root end into 1⁄2-inch-thick
wedges
3 cups (3 ounces) baby arugula- Process 3 tablespoons oil, mint, garlic,
1 tablespoon pepper, cumin, sugar, lime
zest and juice, 1½ teaspoons salt, pa-
prika, oregano, and habanero in blender
until smooth, 10 to 20 seconds. Transfer
marinade to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag.
Add chicken, seal bag, and turn to coat
chicken with marinade. Refrigerate for
at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours. - Adjust oven rack to middle position
and heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss cau-
lifl ower, potatoes, onion, remaining
3 tablespoons oil, remaining ½ teaspoon
pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt
together on rimmed baking sheet and
spread into even layer. Bake until top
edges of caulifl ower and potatoes are
lightly browned, about 15 minutes. - Remove sheet from oven. Using
spatula, push vegetables to 1 side of
sheet (they will no longer be in single
layer). Place chicken, skin side up,
on now-empty side of sheet. Roast
until chicken registers 175 degrees and
vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes,
rotating sheet halfway through roasting. - Transfer chicken to carving board;
let rest for 10 minutes. Add arugula to
sheet with vegetables and gently toss to
combine. Transfer vegetable mixture
to platter. Separate leg quarters into
thighs and drumsticks, then transfer to
platter with vegetable mixture. Serve. - Start with just the vegetables
They need more time in the oven. - Add the spiced chicken legs
Everything fi nishes cooking together.