Roasted Chicken and Broccoli with Raisin Sauce

Wait, wait, where are you going?  This isn’t a joke!  Raisin sauce!  It’s real, and it’s delicious!

Let me back up a bit.  We love roasted broccoli at our house.  We eat it two, sometimes three times a week.  And while I enjoy it, I really do, there came a day (last week) when I wanted to add a little something new to our dinner repetoire.  Google is my friend, and I quickly came across several different recipes for Broccoli with Raisin Sauce.  Well, if so many other people thought it good enough to make, photograph, and write about, it must be worth a try.

And it was an unmitigated success!  This simple sauce has it all – sweet and spicy, with a little bite from the vinegar.  I served this with roasted chicken thighs, and the raisin sauce was amazing with those too!  For an easy dinner, roast the broccoli on one sheet pan, chicken thighs on another, and make the sauce when they’re done.  Be bold, try something new, and surprise yourself with a funky, fun new recipe!

Roasted Broccoli and Chicken with Raisin Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 large bunches of broccoli, chopped into florets
• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• salt and pepper
• 9 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup raisins (I used golden raisins, but use what you like)
• 2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400*F.  Line two cookie sheet pans with aluminum foil.  On one pan, lay out the chicken thighs, making sure there is room between them; don’t crowd.  Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper (and a little garlic powder is nice too).  Place in the oven on the top rack.
2. On the second sheet pan, spread out the broccoli florets and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of oil.  Sprinkle with salt and place in the oven on the bottom rack.
3. While the chicken and broccoli cook, make the raisin sauce:  combine remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, raisins, vinegar, and cumin in a blender or food processor.  Blend until relatively smooth – until the raisins are broken down and saucy.
4. The chicken is done when a thermometer reads 160*F, and the broccoli is done when it’s getting some crispy brown spots.  Serve both with the raisin sauce!