Garlic Chicken With Guasacaca Sauce

Updated April 23, 2021

Garlic Chicken With Guasacaca Sauce
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(2,415)
Comments
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Simple to make, versatile in use and complex in flavor, guasacaca sauce is one of the wonderful condiments of Venezuelan cuisine. Creamy from the addition of avocado with a bright and tangy herb and lime base, it makes an evocative pairing for any vegetarian, seafood or meat dish. Here, it accompanies a sheet-pan dinner of roasted chicken and carrots but will do just as well with anything from the grill.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • ½cup olive oil
  • 3large garlic cloves, peeled
  • pounds carrots, scrubbed, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths (½-inch wide)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2½ to 3pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, drumsticks, breasts or a combination, patted dry
  • 1avocado, pitted and chopped
  • 1jalapeño, stemmed and chopped
  • 2tablespoons rice vinegar
  • Zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 1cup chopped parsley leaves with tender stems
  • 1cup chopped cilantro leaves with tender stems
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

915 calories; 64 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 36 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 60 grams protein; 1422 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine ¼ cup oil and grate in 2 garlic cloves using a zester. Add the carrots and toss to coat. Lightly season with salt and black pepper and transfer to a sheet pan, reserving the garlic oil in the bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl and coat with the remaining garlic oil. Arrange in a single layer on the sheet pan skin-side up between the carrots.

  2. Step 2

    Roast until carrots are tender, and chicken is cooked through with crispy skin that’s browned in spots, 35 to 40 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    While the chicken cooks, in a food processor or blender or using a mortar and pestle, combine the avocado, jalapeño, vinegar, lime zest and juice, remaining garlic clove, half the chopped parsley and cilantro, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Purée or pound into a coarse mixture. With the machine running or while mixing with a pestle in a mortar, slowly drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil and 1 tablespoon room temperature water. Purée or stir until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt if necessary. The sauce can be made a few hours in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container.

  4. Step 4

    Scatter the remaining ½ cup each parsley and cilantro over the chicken and carrots. Transfer to individual plates along with any pan juices. Spoon a few tablespoons of the guasacaca sauce on the side for dipping. Serve warm with additional sauce on the side.

Ratings

5 out of 5
2,415 user ratings
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Comments

For anyone else who doesn't care for oily-textured sauces, I've made this with plain yogurt in place of the olive oil and it's beautiful.

Guasacaca tip: for better texture, add the avocado at the end. Make the sauce in the blender with all other ingredients, transfer to a bowl, then smash the avocado with a fork and mix it. That's how my family prepares guasacaca. You can also try adding tomatoes and onions to the blender

Wow! I recommend making most of the guasacaca sauce as you're cooking the chicken and carrots but not adding the avocado until right before you're about to serve everything, to preserve its color and freshness.

Seriously, this sauce is everything! I puréed everything except the avocado- mashed in two at the end as suggested. So much bang for your buck. A chimichurri-guacamole!

I really wish recipe writers would separate the ingredients for each part of a recipe. For this recipe, head the ingredients list with: For the chicken: For the sauce. Then readers will know exactly what to put in each portion of the recipe.

I’m going to make this. I will roast the jalapeño over flame to char it. Is this permissible?

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