Roasted Chicken Thighs With Cilantro Sauce and Butternut Squash

Serves 4 to 6

3 lbs skin on, bone in, chicken things (about 8)

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ½ lbs butternut squash, cut into 2 inch chunks (smaller will cook too quickly)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt and pepper

Rub chicken with olive oil, pepper and salt Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  This gives the salt a bit of time to season the meat.

Remove chicken from fridge about 20 minutes before you want to roast it.

Preheat oven to 500.

Toss butternut squash chunks with olive oil, honey, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Place on a roasting pan.  Add chicken pieces covering the surface of the squash, skin side up.

Roast for 30 minutes.   Take out from oven.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

2 cups cilantro leaves and stems, roughly chopped
½ cup Italian parsley, leaves and stems, roughly chopped
½ cup good extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Place all ingredients for cilantro sauce into a food processor, or mini prep.  Pulse until ingredients are all well incorporated and the sauce is runny.  If necessary, add more olive oil.  Check seasonings and adjust.  Allow flavors to meld at room temperature.  Refrigerate any leftovers.  Tastes great drizzled on any protein.