Roma-what? All you need to know… this romesco sauce with chicken is a game-changer. I kid, romesco sauce is a delicious sauce, usually brick read in color, made of red peppers and nuts from Catalonia! I’ve re-created here, nightshade-free and totally delicious.
The Original Encounter
My first encounter with romesco was on the gourmet food truck I worked on in San Diego, Harvest Kitchen. Marguerite Griftka, the veteran chef who was to replace me as I was about to have a baby, created the most epic tacos with this delicious sauce. This rich sauce is perfect for fish. But honestly, the bbq nature of the sauce makes it perfect for this romesco sauce with the chicken recipe! Romesco has a tangy, yet warm flavor. It’s a little toasty and totally delicious. This cacao butter and cashew version made using fried red onions vs red peppers is finger-licking good too!
Cacao Butter
Other than being the perfect alternative to my avocado, coconut and dairy afflicted friends. This monounsaturated fat is packed with antioxidants. It also thickens when cooled and lends itself to making this sauce rich and creamy!
Other uses for cacao butter are Rocket Fuel Lattes and Homemade Chocolate.
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Cacao Butter Romesco Sauce with Crispy Chicken Thighs
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Spanish
Description
This fun twist on Romesco sauce is somewhere between the traditional earthy and smoky sauce and BBQ sauce. A mix of fried red onions, toasted cashews and warm spices. Get all the antioxidant goodness of cacao in this deliciously savory recipe! Romesco Sauce with Chicken!
Ingredients
The Sauce:
- ½ cup melted Cacao Butter
½ red onion, sliced
¼ cup raw cashews (hemp hearts or pumpkin seeds for nut free)
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon toasted ground cumin
½ teaspoon fine salt
¼ cup coconut aminos
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon low carb date syrup (or 10 drops stevia glycerite)
The Chicken:
- 2 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoons bacon fat
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a small sauce pot over medium heat with the cacao butter.
Once hot, add in the onion and cashews. Fry, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until the onions and cashews are golden and toasty.
Pour everything into a blender, add in the seasonings, aminos, vinegar and sweetener if you’re using it. Blend until smooth. - To make the chicken:
- Pre-heat oven to 425F.
- Toss the chicken thighs, bacon fat, salt, and pepper together then lay the thighs flat on a sheet pan, so none of them over lap or touch.
- Roast for 30 minutes, then flip over and roast another 10. Use a spatula to scrape them up off the sheet pan.
- Serve over greens, drizzle the sauce all over them!
Recipe Notes:
Substitutions: Almonds or hemp hearts may be used instead of cashews and in equal amounts.
If you can eat nightshades, try using smoked paprika instead of the garam masala!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 365
- Fat: 23g
- Carbohydrates: 7g
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 30g
Peggy says
Can the sauce be made a few days ahead of time, and then warmed when ready to eat?
Cristina Curp, FNTP says
yes
Klara says
Finally tried it, it’s so yummy ?
Thank you for all the delicious recipes!
Cristina says
my pleasure!!
Cheryl Caplan says
Fantastic flavor for the sauce! I made this with boneless chicken thighs and roasted the chicken in the oven with fresh-picked broccoli and asparagus. With the romanesco sauce, everything was absolutely delicious!
Allison says
I made this sauce with pumpkin seeds and it is freaking amazing.
Cristina says
Yeahhh!!! Thanks so much Allison!
Angela M says
so excited to cook this. i don’ have stevia glycerite, but have sukrin gold, could i use a tbsp of that? or how much? thanks
Cristina says
Sure! I haven’t used surkin gold, but I hear its lovely
Angela says
yes, it’s the erythritol replacement for brown sugar. i’ll let you know how it worked, thanks.
Angela M says
OMG AMAZING! Love it.
Got some leftover and I put it in a masson jar, will it keep ok in the fridge? For how long?
Cristina says
yeaahhhh
Ashley says
Would this work in the instant pot? Brown the chicken thighs, start the sauce, and then combine finished sauce with the chicken and pressure cook for 10 minutes.
Cristina says
I don’t think so. The chicken won’t come out crispy how its supposed too and the sauce is better to drizzle on top or dip, not to cook in the sauce.
Liz says
MMMMM my first time cooking/experimenting with cacao butter. It is crazy it turns into a clear liquid fat when heated. I subbed with hemp hearts just bc kids ate all the cashews and loved this sauce. I miss robust peppery sauces like this, being on AIP for a few years now, but this hit the spot.
Muniza says
Is there any other kind of fat to substitute bacon fat. I can’t eat bacon
Cristina says
tallow, chicken fat, coconut oil, butter