Chicken Breasts with a Cilantro Pistachio Pesto
Course: DinnerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: MediumServings
4
servingsPrep time
25
minutesCooking time
30
minutesI love this recipe. I found it in one of my food magazines 20 years ago. I love it because it is something different and this pesto is delicious. Plus I use the pesto on other dishes such a pasta or as a dip. This is loved by my family as well as being a delicious dish to serve for guests. Also there are no pine nuts in this recipe. It is nut and cheese free which is nice.
Ingredients
1 cup raw pistachios
2 cups packed fresh cilantro leaves, about 2 bushels
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cardamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 5 tablespoons olive oil
4 large bone in chicken breast halves with skin and ribs attached
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400. Toast pistachios on a baking sheet until golden about 7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor. Leave oven on at 400. Add the cilantro, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, garlic, cardamon, and 3/4 teaspoon salt to the processor. Pulse until it turns into a coarse paste. With the machine running, stream in 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Season with fresh ground pepper. Remove about 4 Tablespoons pesto and reserve the rest.
- Using your fingers, gently loose the skin from each chicken breast and spread about 1 Tablespoon pesto under the skin. Sprinkle chicken with ample amounts of salt and fresh ground pepper.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a heavy large over proof pan. Add the chicken and brown skin side down. Cook until chicken is dark golden about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over and roast in oven until cooked through about 25 minutes, or until and instant read digital thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165.
- Place remaining pesto in a bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Drizzle the pesto over the chicken and serve with wild rice and roasted vegetables.
