Chicken With Peanut Salsa

Could this be my signature dish? Thats what I asked myself over and over again last night when I should have been sleeping.

I've been researching peanut salsa for days now. While compiling my final ingredient list this morning I thought I started to feel a little bit of a contraction. I wasn't ready to go into labour. I was determined to make this salsa and feed it to somebody. So I quickly got dressed, grabbed my list, and ran/waddled to the grocery store. It turned out to be a false alarm. Not only was I able to make the dish, I was able to eat it too!! Now, I think I'm ready for labour...until I get obsessed with my next recipe idea.

-5 Chicken drum sticks
-1 1/2 cups unsalted peanuts
-1 roasted red pepper
-1 onion
-4 garlic cloves
-2 Chipotles in adobo
-4 T. Adobo
-1 T. smoked paprika
-1/4 t. cinnamon(Optional)
-1 T. tomato paste
-1/8 t. ground clove
-Juice of one lime
-Juice of one lemon
-About 2 cups chicken broth

Roast peanuts in pan, throw into food processor or blender.
Dice and saute onion and garlic in same pan. Add to processor.
Dice roasted red pepper and add to processor with chipotle, adobo, paprika, cinnamon, clove, tomato paste, citrus juice and chicken stock. Keep adding chicken stock until the consistency is liquidy and saucy rather than pasty.

Brown and crisp drum sticks in onion and garlic pan. Toast with salt and pepper.

Add just enough peanut salsa to coat chicken and a bit for the bottom of the pan and bake until chicken completely cooked. (NEXT TIME I WILL KEEP IT IN THE PAN AND FRY RATHER THAN BAKE TO KEEP THE CHICKEN CRISPY)

I served this with baked cilantro tomatoes and couscous.

Photos:Shawn Campbell