We made this dish last night at the Common Housefly Test Kitchen and we liked it enough that I thought I would share it with you.

The main part of the recipe is a sheet pan chicken with vegetables dish. Sheet pan cooking is one of our favorite ways to put together a simple weeknight meal, and this is no exception. Grab some chicken parts (we used bone-in thighs) and vegetables (we used carrots & new potatoes) and you are good to go, but this method works for so many foods, including just vegetables.

But the star of the meal, and the reason I am posting this, is the Venezuelan condiment called Guasacaca Sauce. This sauce was a revelation. Bright, fresh, citrus-y…it tasted like spring. And everything we dipped into this condiment was enhanced by it. Even the carrots and potatoes were yummy dipped in this sauce.

I got this recipe from the NY Times. Here is what they had to say about guasacaca sauce:

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.

Treat yourself to this dish sometime soon and bright springtime flavors.

Garlic Chicken With Guasacaca Sauce

INGREDIENTS

½ cup olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 ½ pounds carrots, scrubbed, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths (1/2-inch wide)

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 ½ to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, drumsticks, breasts or a combination, patted dry

1 avocado, pitted and chopped

1 jalapeño, stemmed and chopped

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1 cup chopped parsley leaves with tender stems

1 cup chopped cilantro leaves with tender stems

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 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.

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

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, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 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 1/4 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.

Scatter the remaining 1/2 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.