Citrus-Garlic Roasted Chicken with Cauliflower Rice, Roasted Zucchini, and Avocado-Cilantro Sauce

Chicken thighs marinated in fresh orange and lime juice, garlic, cumin, and oregano, inspired by the citrus marinades of Mexico's Yucatán, then roasted until crisp and golden. They're served with lime cauliflower rice, roasted zucchini, a creamy avocado-cilantro sauce, and quick-pickled red onions.

Yield: Serves 4 · Active: 25 min · Total: 1 hr (plus 4–12 hours marinating) · Year-round (zucchini peaks in North America in summer) · Best eaten: early evening

Ingredients

Citrus-garlic marinade

• ½ cup fresh orange juice plus ¼ cup fresh lime juice

• Zest of 1 orange

• 4 garlic cloves, grated

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1½ tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano

• 1 tsp smoked paprika (for a warm, golden-red color)

• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

• ¼ tsp ground allspice

• 1½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt

Chicken

• 2½ lb pasture-raised bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

Quick-pickled red onions

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

• Juice of 2 limes (or ⅓ cup raw apple cider vinegar)

• ½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt

Sides

• 1 large head cauliflower, riced

• 2 medium zucchini, cut into thick half-moons

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided

• ¾ tsp Baja Gold sea salt, divided

• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped, and the juice of 1 lime

Avocado-cilantro sauce

• 1 ripe avocado

• ½ cup fresh cilantro

• Juice of 1 lime

• 2 tbsp thick sheep's or goat's milk yogurt (or water, for dairy-free)

• 1 small garlic clove

• ¼ tsp Baja Gold sea salt

• Water, to thin

Method

1. Make the marinade. Whisk everything together in a large glass bowl.

2. Marinate. Coat the chicken thoroughly and refrigerate 4–12 hours. (Longer than that, and the citrus can make the meat mushy.)

3. Pickle the onions. Toss them with the lime juice and salt and let them sit at least 30 minutes, until bright pink.

4. Roast the chicken. Heat the oven to 425°F. Set the chicken skin-side up on a parchment-lined pan and roast 35–40 minutes, until crisp and 175°F.

5. Roast the zucchini. Toss it with 1½ tbsp oil and half the salt and roast on a separate pan 18–22 minutes, until browned.

6. Make the avocado-cilantro sauce. Blend everything until silky, adding water until spoonable.

7. Make the cauliflower rice. Sauté the cauliflower in the remaining oil over medium-high heat 5–7 minutes, until tender. Season with salt, cilantro, and lime.

8. Plate. Spoon cauliflower rice onto each plate, add the zucchini and chicken, drizzle with avocado-cilantro sauce, and top with pickled onions and fresh cilantro.

Storage: Chicken, up to 4 days refrigerated (it's also wonderful shredded for lettuce-wrap tacos); marinade, up to 3 days refrigerated; pickled onions, up to 2 weeks; avocado sauce, 1 day.

Nourishment Notes: Pasture-raised chicken brings complete protein, B vitamins, and collagen. Orange and lime bring vitamin C and hesperidin. Garlic and oregano add allicin and carvacrol. Cumin and smoked paprika add warmth, plus carotenoids from the paprika. Cauliflower offers glucosinolates and choline. Avocado brings monounsaturated fats, potassium, and folate. Red onion adds quercetin.

For your cycle: Avocado's healthy fats and cauliflower's glucosinolates make this supportive in every phase, and the citrus's vitamin C helps your body absorb iron.

Sourcing

• Chicken thighs — pasture-raised, from a local farm raising birds on pasture, or White Oak Pastures

• Spices (cumin, Mexican oregano, smoked paprika, allspice, black pepper) — organic and non-irradiated

• Oranges, limes, garlic, red onion, cauliflower, zucchini, cilantro, and avocados — organic

• Sheep's or goat's milk yogurt — organic, plain, and full-fat; raw from a local dairy, or Bellwether Farms

• Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass

• Baja Gold sea salt

— Anna aka Food Marshall