Best Chicken Skewers With Tarragon Pistachio Pesto Recipe Epicuriouscom Recipes

BAKED PEAS WITH TARRAGON, YOGURT, AND PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500˚F. Put the peas in a clay pot or a small Dutch oven and gently heat them on the stove until they thaw, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, put the tarragon, scallions, olive oil, yogurt, and ¼ cup of the pistachios into a blender and puree. Gently mix into the peas, sprinkle the top with extra chopped pistachios, and bake for about 15 minutes-about the time the top will begin to brown. Remove and serve in your best serving bowl.

GRILLED CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH DECONSTRUCTED PESTO

Steps:

• 1. Build a fire in your grill; when the flames have died down, all the coals are covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill for about 5 seconds), you're ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn all burners to high, lower cover and heat for 15 minutes, then turn burners to medium.) 2. Combine the chicken, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the salt and pepper in a large bowl and toss well to coat, then thread the chicken chunks onto the skewers so they press up against one another but aren't jammed together. 3. Put the skewers on the grill directly over the coals and cook, rolling the skewers around every 3 to 4 minutes to ensure all the sides are more or less evenly exposed to the heat, until lightly seared, about 12 to 14 minutes. To check for doneness, make a small cut and peek inside a couple of the chunks to be sure they are opaque all the way through with no pink. 4. Slide the chicken chunks off the skewers into a large bowl, add all the other ingredients one after the other, toss well to coat evenly, season to taste if needed and serve.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH PISTACHIO-CILANTRO PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Toast pistachios on baking sheet until golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer to processor. Maintain oven temperature. Add cilantro leaves, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, garlic, cardamom, and 3/4 teaspoon salt to processor. Using on/off turns, process until coarse paste forms. With machine running, gradually add 1/2 cup olive oil. Season with pepper.
• Using fingers, gently loosen skin from 1 side of each chicken breast, forming pocket. Spread 1 tablespoon pesto evenly under skin of each. Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down. Cook until skin is dark golden, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over and transfer skillet to oven. Roast chicken until cooked through, about 25 minutes.
• Place 1/2 cup remaining pesto into small bowl. Whisk in remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Drizzle pesto sauce over chicken breasts and serve.

PESTO-CRUSTED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Blend pesto, chopped walnuts, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and grated lemon peel in processor just until combined. Place chicken on large rimmed baking sheet. Coat all of chicken with pesto mixture. Drizzle with oil. Bake chicken until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter. Tent with foil.
• Strain pan juices into small bowl, pressing on solids in strainer to extract as much liquid as possible. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.