This spiced chicken thighs with salsa fresca recipe is from our Cooking Community, Summer 2019. Every once in awhile, I love to share recipes from the Cooking Community with you so that you can get a feel for our cooking, give the recipes a spin, and realize what deliciousness you're missing out on if you're not already a member! You can join our Cooking Community right here. We would love to have you cook with us!

This ten-minute entree is the perfect cap to a day of hard work. I often double it and keep the marinated chicken in the refrigerator for quick meals. It's at it's best when the cherry tomatoes are coming off the vines, the cilantro is freshly harvested from the herb pots, and the onions are crisp and fresh in all their summer glory. Rice or fried potatoes make a great side accompaniment.

Spiced Chicken Thighs with Salsa Fresca

For the chicken:

• 6 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
• 2 tablespoons turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

For the salsa fresca:

• 1 bunch cilantro
• 6 green onions
• 1 pound cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 tablespoons lime juice

1. Combine the chicken thighs and all the spices in a bowl. Use your hands to massage the spices into the chicken thighs, cover the bowl, and set it aside for at least one hour to marinade. (I often mix it up in the morning for supper because it makes dinner prep that much easier.)
2. To make the salsa fresca, finely chop the cilantro and green onions. Add them a medium-sized bowl. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add them into the bowl. Season the salsa fresca with the pepper, salt, and lime juice to taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
3. Cooking the chicken over charcoal until the skin is crispy and it is cooked thoroughly (about 5-6 minutes per side). Alternatively, the chicken can be cooked in a hot cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with a few tablespoons of olive oil added. Cook the chicken skin side down first to to crisp it before flipping it over to finish cooking.
4. Serve the spiced chicken thighs alongside a generous pile of salsa fresca.

The chicken is spicy and burns a little. Sort of like the sun on my shoulders.

It's currently 105.

So don't forget the salsa fresca. That's supposed to be like the sprinkler I run through to cool off.

Get it?

Chicken. Hot.

Salsa. Cool.

I'll see myself out.

Happy Summer!

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