Prep Time: 20 min // Cook Time: 40 min // Total: 60 min // Serving: 4

This recipe was inspired by a meal I had at a restaurant. They served a half chicken with delicious oven roasted potatoes. Although the meal was delicious, there was a lot of oil dripping around the plate. There and then, I decided to try to make a similar dish but with less fat and salt.

After a few tries, I am happy to say that I came up with a recipe that is lower in fat and sodium but just as flavorful and delicious. This recipe uses bone-in skin on chicken thighs to give the moisture and flavor with no added oil or butter. The cilantro marinade is one of the reasons why this recipe shines. The chicken thighs are baked in the oven. The potatoes are arranged closely to each other underneath the chicken thighs. This allows the rendered oil from the chicken skin to baste the potatoes underneath to make them tender, moist and flavorful. Brush the rendered chicken oil from the baking sheet onto the chicken and broil in the oven for 5 minutes to give the brownness and the crispiness that everyone likes. To make a full meal, all you need to do is to make vegetables while the chicken is baking. Better yet, roast some vegetables in the oven at the same time the chicken is baking. This is a time-saving dinner whenever you want a nourishing, delicious and homemade meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 Lb chicken thighs with bone (~3 pieces)

• Cilantro marinade: 

                                  2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

                                  ½ bunch cilantro (~ 1 cup chopped)

                                  ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

                                  1 ½ tablespoon chopped garlic

                                  ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

                                 ½ tablespoon water

                                 10 mini potatoes, cut in halves (~ 1 ½ cups)

• Rosemary seasoning mix:

                                        1 ½ tablespoon chopped garlic

                                        2 teaspoons dried rosemary

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Debone chicken thighs and leave the skin on

3. Clean and pat dry the chicken thighs

4. Make the cilantro marinade

5. Cover the chicken thighs with the marinade in a bowl and set it aside

6. Wash the mini potatoes

7. Poke each of the mini potatoes with a fork a couple of times

8. Place the potatoes in a microwave with a cover and cook for 2 minutes on high until the potatoes are semi soft

9. Cut the potatoes into halves

10. Rub the potatoes with the rosemary seasoning mix in a separate bowl

11. Place the potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet with cut the side down close to each other

12. Place the chicken thighs on top of the potatoes, make sure all the potatoes are underneath the chicken thighs

13. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes

14. Brush the chicken with the oil on the baking sheet

15. Broil the chicken thighs for 5 minutes

16. Rest the chicken thighs for 5 minutes before serving