Spicy Chicken Thighs with Rhubarb-Cucumber Salsa

I have gotten behind in my blog.  I blame it on the new house.  Even though it has been perfectly renovated, I need to change some things to suit our life style.  So that consumes a lot of my time.  But I have been cooking and this was dinner on Wednesday.  This recipe was in the April, Bon Appétit Magazine.  Told you I am behind.   Technically it serves 4, but Jim ate it all.    

Ingredients:

1 habanero, Scotch bonnet, or Thai chile, with seeds, stemmed (I used a Scotch bonnet)

2 garlic cloves

2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts divided

1T soy sauce

¼ C EVOO

6 large skin-on, bone in chicken thighs (mine were boneless with no skin)

1 ½ C ¼” cubes rhubarb

1 C ¼” cubes unpeeled seeded English hothouse cucumber

½ C coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1 T honey

1 T vegetable oil

1 t fresh lime juice

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1.      Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil.  Pulse chile, garlic and white parts of scallions in a food processor until finely chopped.  With machine running drizzle in soy sauce, EVOO and process until emulsion forms. 

2.      Place chicken thighs, skin side up, on a work surface and slash each crosswise at ¾” intervals down to the bone.  (skipped this step with my boneless, skinless thighs) Season lightly with salt.  Place on prepared baking sheet and brush with sauce.

3.      Bake until skin is crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thigh registers 165 degrees, 20-25 minutes.  Broil on high for an additional 2-3 minutes fro crisper skin, if desired.  (In baked for 15 minutes.) Let rest for 5-10 minutes. 

4.      Meanwhile, toss rhubarb; next 5 ingredients, and green parts of scallions in a medium bowl to coat.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and let stand for at least 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld. 

5.      Serve chicken with rhubarb salsa alongside. 

I served this with Uzuni , Quinoa and While grain brown rice that we used to find at Costco.  It is from a company called Seeds of Change.  I also served broccoli, just because I was in the mood for broccoli.  This chicken has heat, but Jim did not complain and I did not have to listen to him complain about his nose running.  The salsa was delicious with a hint of sweetness.