Broiled Chicken Thighs with Chipotle Sauce

I love a meal that delivers bold flavors without much work! This Mexican-inspired recipe is just that kind of dish: flavorful spice-rubbed chicken thighs served with a chipotle-spiked, garlicky roasted red pepper sauce. Delish!

I didn’t have ground chipotle chile (available in the spice aisle) so I substituted about 1/2 teaspoon of chopped canned chipotle chile (in adobo sauce) and added it to the spice mixture. Once I mixed the chopped chipotle chile in with the spices, I tossed the chicken with oil then rubbed it with the spice mixture. I also used 1 teaspoon of chopped chipotle chile to make the sauce. I chopped the garlic then threw it along with the other sauce ingredients into the food processor. I pureed the sauce until it was smooth. If you like lots of sauce then you might want to double the sauce recipe so you can serve with the chicken and drizzle on rice or roasted potatoes.

Broiled Chicken Thighs with Chipotle Sauce

-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine  

Roasted red peppers and spicy, smoky ground chipotle chiles make this sauce a knockout. Serve with roasted potatoes. Serves 4.

1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. packed light brown sugar

3/4 tsp. ground chipotle chile

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Kosher salt

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 13/4 lb.), trimmed

3 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium clove garlic

1 large or 2 small jarred roasted red peppers, drained

1 Tbs. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler on high. In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp. of the cumin, the sugar, 1/4 tsp. of the chipotle, the cinnamon, and 1 tsp. salt. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with 1 Tbs. of the oil, and then toss with the spice mixture.

Arrange the chicken on a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and broil until the chicken browns lightly on top, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue to broil until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.

Meanwhile, coarsely chop the garlic and sprinkle it with 1/4 tsp. salt. Using the flat side of a chef?s knife, smear and mash the garlic and salt together to form a coarse paste. Transfer the garlic paste to a food processor and add the roasted red pepper, the remaining 2 Tbs. oil, the remaining 1/2 tsp. each of cumin and chipotle, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Purée into a smooth sauce.

Garnish the chicken with the cilantro and serve with the sauce.