Come on Over!

The next time we have people over for dinner, I'm making this dish. This was a really solid recipe from The Joy of Cooking. What made it even better was that Greg helped me in the kitchen! The chicken had a great flavor, so we didn't even need to make a taco sauce. Next time, I would serve it with Spanish rice, but even without, they were yummy!
 

 
We bought chicken legs and removed the skin first. Then we made the Chili-Garlic Spice Paste that coats the chicken.We combined all of the ingredients, and since we don't have a food processor, we put them in the blender, which works the same. It comes out as an ugly, but not bad tasting, pasty liquid.

3/4 of a cup minced jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup garlic cloves
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsps grated lemon zest (or lime)
2 tbsps cracked black peppercorns
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsps chili powder

After we coated the chicken with the paste,we baked it for an hour. When it was ready, the chicken easily pulled away from the bone. We pulled and shredded the chicken and then used some of the pan drippings to add some more flavor to the chicken. Then we spooned the chicken into some flour tortillas. We added lettuce and a homemade tomato salsa.

 The recipe called for sour cream as well but after our gorge on butter last week, I omitted that. I think it tasted better without it anyways, fresh, clean flavors. We did add a tiny sprinkle of shredded cheddar on the meat though. I was happy to find a recipe Greg likes that does not include gobs of butter, cream, or cheese. I felt good making something that we didn't have to feel guilty eating. Maybe you can try this recipe at your house; the full recipe is in the Joy of Cooking (75th anniversary edition). Thanks for reading my thoughts about food!