Chicken Legs Braised in Pinot Grigio Mojo

This is the second or third thing we've made from Andrea Immer's Everyday Dining with Wine, and it is another success story. I'd been wanting to cook a mojo dish for awhile, and this seemed as good as any. The best thing about this was the balance of flavors, and it delivered a very springtime palette of flavors. Roast the garlic head (top 1/3 sliced off) and the shallots (peeled and quartered) first in a piece of foil wth some olive oil, salt and pepper thrown in for 50 minutes in a 400F oven.

The lettuce saute was an afterthought, but our neighbors Tom and Charlene went on a trip and generously donated a TON of food to us that we've been working our way through. The lettuce turned out to be a nice compliment to the chicken, and took the mojo sauce well.

CHICKEN
1 ½ cups Pinot Grigio or other crisp white wine without oak aging (leftover is fine)
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
1 head roasted garlic, squeezed from its skins
4 roasted shallots
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, or more if necessary
6 whole chicken legs

LETTUCE SAUTE
1 knob of butter
1 drizzle olive oil
2 baby gem lettuce
5-6 spring onions, green parts only, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
small handful of chopped parsley

Bring the wine to a boil in a small saucepan and reduce by half. Cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Combine the cooled wine reduction with the lime juice, garlic, shallots, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth. With the motor running, pour in 1/2 cup olive oil in a slow stream to emulsify.

Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof skillet. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides.

Pour 1/3 cup of the mojo over the chicken and turn the pieces to coat them. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp, about 45 minutes. Serve immediately with the remaining mojo on the side.

LETTUCE
Heat the butter and olive oil together over medium heat until melted and starting to bubble. Add the lettuce, spring onions and salt and pepper, and saute briefly until just starting to wilt, about 30-45 seconds. Remove from the heat add stir in the parsley.