Baked Chicken with Minted Chimichurri

MAKES 4 SERVINGS • PREP TIME: 20 minutes plus up to 2 hours to marinate • COOK TIME: 40 minutes

Chicken isn’t given its due as a brain food, and that’s an omission worth correcting. It’s absolutely loaded with tryptophan, which can boost mood and make sleep come easier. It’s also high in vitamin B3 (aka niacin), which the Chicago Health and Aging Project, in a study of more than 3,700 individuals, found may slow cognitive decline. Here we take chicken thighs and jazz ’em up with a tantalizing mint chimichurri: with its South American roots, it’s one of my go-to sauces for chicken.

8 pasture-raised bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 1/2 cups Minted Chimichurri
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper

Put the chicken in a large bowl with 6 tablespoons of the chimichurri and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Wipe off any of the marinating chimichurri. Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet skin side up and season with the salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes or until the juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reaches 160°F.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and drizzle a few tablespoons of the chimichurri over it. Serve, with the rest of the chimichurri on the side.

Reprinted with permission from The Healthy Mind Cookbook Copyright © 2015 by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.

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