The wonders of chimichurri sauce

I have always been a fan of chimichurri sauce- if you're not familiar, it's an Argentinian sauce used to accompany steak, but it has so many uses. Made from loads of parsley, garlic, and chili flakes, chimichurri sauce has a fantastic kick to it. We had it at Easter with a lamb roast and it was divine- we all ended up pouring it over our roasted veggies and rice, and our eggs the following morning. So when I made some the other night for hanger steak, I wondered what to do with the leftovers. I added some to my salad for dressing at lunch, and then at dinner coated a roasted chicken with the remainder. I can't say that it was very recognizable with the roasted chicken but it looked beautiful and still tasted amazing. I highly recommend both recipes. Just take a look at the amazing color in the sauce! Oh, and did I mention chimichurri makes an addictive dip for ciabatta bread?

Roasted Chicken with Chimichurri and lemon

serves 4 ish

5 lb organic chicken, PRE-BRINED (brine yourself in the AM or Trader Joe's sells delicious organic, pre-brined chicken)

2 lemons, halved

salt, pepper

about half of chimichurri sauce from recipe below

Preheat oven to 450. Pat chicken dry. Fill cavity of chicken with lemons. Rub chimichurri all over chicken, especially under skin. Finish with a light sprinkle of salt and generous pepper. 

Roast for 15 minutes, breast side up. Flip bird, and roast additional 15 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 375, flip bird back over so breast side is up. Roast for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for at least 10 minutes. 

Bon appetit! Some of the best chicken I've had! I would definitely not skip the brining step. It makes for a super moist, flavorful bird. 

Chimichurri Recipe (from SimplyRecipes)

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of thick stems
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsps fresh oregano leaves (can sub 2 teaspoons dried oregano)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

METHOD

1 Finely chop the parsley, fresh oregano, and garlic (or process in a food processor several pulses). Place in a small bowl.

2 Stir in the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Adjust seasonings.

Serve immediately or refrigerate. If chilled, return to room temperature before serving. Can keep for a day or two.

Yield: Serves 4.