ONE-SKILLET CHICKEN THIGHS WITH PESTO AND VEGETABLES

One-Skillet Chicken Thighs with Pesto and Vegetables image

This is a great one-skillet chicken pesto dish. I like the concept of cooking one-skillet meals because the flavors meld well and it cuts down on cooking time, without sacrificing quality. Garnish with chopped green onion.

Provided by TheElusivePastry

Categories Meat and Poultry Chicken Chicken Thigh Recipes

Time 5h30m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 27

Ingredients

½ large red onion, chopped
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 pounds skin-on, boneless chicken thighs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
½ medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed
3 small red potatoes, cubed
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 leaves fresh basil
7 ounces halloumi cheese, sliced
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces pine nuts
4 cloves garlic
1 large lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves

Steps:

Combine red onion, oil, soy sauce, basil, vinegar, garlic, and peppercorns for marinade in a zip-top bag and mix well. Add chicken and massage well. Let sit for 4 to 6 hours in the refrigerator, flipping once halfway through.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove chicken from the refrigerator and discard marinade.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. (This will melt out most of the fat underneath and will leave a nice crispy skin.) Flip chicken and cook for 1 minute more. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
Drain the extra fat and oil from the skillet, then melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. When butter has melted, add red onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in green beans, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, salt, and pepper. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring throughout. Return chicken to the skillet.
Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven, and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the oven. Top chicken thighs with basil leaves, then halloumi cheese slices, making sure cheese does not touch the sides of the pan. Return to the oven and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the centers, 15 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
Turn on the broiler and broil until the cheese is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes more, checking frequently to prevent burning.
Meanwhile, prepare pesto sauce: Combine olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and hot sauce in a blender and blitz for 30 seconds. Add basil and blitz until it's the consistency of pesto, about 30 seconds.
Drizzle the pesto sauce primary onto the chicken, but also on the veggies.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 708.4 calories, Carbohydrate 24.2 g, Cholesterol 103.9 mg, Fat 55.6 g, Fiber 5.1 g, Protein 31.8 g, SaturatedFat 14.7 g, Sodium 1387.2 mg, Sugar 3 g