Pesto Chicken Thighs with Pecan Crust ©
Ingredients
8 chicken thighs,* with skin (130 g or 4 1/2 oz each)
1/2 cup Pesto (recipe attached)
1/2 cup Lightly Spiced Flour (recipe attached)
2 eggs
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Garnish**
1 1/2 cups Mustard Red Currant Sauce (recipe attached)
sprigs of fresh herbs
(Makes 4 to 8 servings)
With fingers, carefully separate skin of thighs from flesh to create a pocket. Insert Pesto (1 teaspoon) under skin of chicken; spread evenly.
Place spiced flour in a shallow glass baking dish. Whisk together eggs and mustard in a shallow soup bowl. Place pecans in a second shallow soup bowl.
Arrange chicken on wire rack placed over a baking tray. Bake in a 190 C or 375 F preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven; allow chicken to cool sufficiently to allow for handling. Carefully remove skin, leaving Pesto on flesh.***
Dust chicken in Lightly Spiced Flour. Dip pesto surface (only) into egg mixture, and then press it into chopped pecans. Return thighs to wire rack on baking sheet (pecan coated side up). Drizzle with oil.
Return pecan crusted thighs to oven; bake until crust is toasted and chicken is done (approximately 12 to 15 minutes). (Juices run clear when thighs are pierced with a fork and a meat thermometer inserted into thigh registers 85 C or 185 F.)
Remove from oven. If desired, garnish plates with drizzles of Mustard Red Currant Sauce and sprigs of fresh herbs. Pass extra Mustard Red Currant Sauce at table.
* For best results, marinate chicken in advance (recipe attached).
** Optional
*** Scrape off any Pesto remaining on skin and return to thigh.
Mustard Red Currant Sauce/Drizzle ©
Ingredients
1 cup red currant jelly
1 1/3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons raspberry or red wine vinegar
(Makes 1 cup sauce)
Heat jelly in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring regularly until it melts. Blend in
mustard and vinegar to create a smooth sauce; remove from heat. *
Serve sauce warm or cold. Store refrigerated in a well sealed glass jar or a handy plastic squeeze bottle.**
* Pass through a fine sieve if necessary.
** If stored properly, the sauce retains its quality for months.
© Margaret H. D@ckenson 2001
Pesto ©
Ingredients
1 cup fresh basil leaves, firmly packed
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 to 2 tablespoons Asiago cheese*, grated
½ to 2/3 teaspoon fresh garlic, finely chopped
½ cup (or as desired)** olive oil
(Makes 1 cup)
Place basil, pine nuts, cheese, garlic and 1/4 cup oil in a blender; process until
smooth.
While blender is operating, gradually add the remaining oil in a thin thread;** blend
well.
Transfer pesto to an airtight jar or plastic container. Store refrigerated for up to 2
weeks, or in freezer for months.
* Optional
** Add more oil to create a thin/more fluid pesto.
© Margaret H. D@ckenson 2001
Ingredients
8 chicken thighs,* with skin (130 g or 4 1/2 oz each)
1/2 cup Pesto (recipe attached)
1/2 cup Lightly Spiced Flour (recipe attached)
2 eggs
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup toasted pecans, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Garnish**
1 1/2 cups Mustard Red Currant Sauce (recipe attached)
sprigs of fresh herbs
(Makes 4 to 8 servings)
With fingers, carefully separate skin of thighs from flesh to create a pocket. Insert Pesto (1 teaspoon) under skin of chicken; spread evenly.
Place spiced flour in a shallow glass baking dish. Whisk together eggs and mustard in a shallow soup bowl. Place pecans in a second shallow soup bowl.
Arrange chicken on wire rack placed over a baking tray. Bake in a 190 C or 375 F preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven; allow chicken to cool sufficiently to allow for handling. Carefully remove skin, leaving Pesto on flesh.***
Dust chicken in Lightly Spiced Flour. Dip pesto surface (only) into egg mixture, and then press it into chopped pecans. Return thighs to wire rack on baking sheet (pecan coated side up). Drizzle with oil.
Return pecan crusted thighs to oven; bake until crust is toasted and chicken is done (approximately 12 to 15 minutes). (Juices run clear when thighs are pierced with a fork and a meat thermometer inserted into thigh registers 85 C or 185 F.)
Remove from oven. If desired, garnish plates with drizzles of Mustard Red Currant Sauce and sprigs of fresh herbs. Pass extra Mustard Red Currant Sauce at table.
* For best results, marinate chicken in advance (recipe attached).
** Optional
*** Scrape off any Pesto remaining on skin and return to thigh.
Mustard Red Currant Sauce/Drizzle ©
Ingredients
1 cup red currant jelly
1 1/3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons raspberry or red wine vinegar
(Makes 1 cup sauce)
Heat jelly in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring regularly until it melts. Blend in
mustard and vinegar to create a smooth sauce; remove from heat. *
Serve sauce warm or cold. Store refrigerated in a well sealed glass jar or a handy plastic squeeze bottle.**
* Pass through a fine sieve if necessary.
** If stored properly, the sauce retains its quality for months.
© Margaret H. D@ckenson 2001
Pesto ©
Ingredients
1 cup fresh basil leaves, firmly packed
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 to 2 tablespoons Asiago cheese*, grated
½ to 2/3 teaspoon fresh garlic, finely chopped
½ cup (or as desired)** olive oil
(Makes 1 cup)
Place basil, pine nuts, cheese, garlic and 1/4 cup oil in a blender; process until
smooth.
While blender is operating, gradually add the remaining oil in a thin thread;** blend
well.
Transfer pesto to an airtight jar or plastic container. Store refrigerated for up to 2
weeks, or in freezer for months.
* Optional
** Add more oil to create a thin/more fluid pesto.
© Margaret H. D@ckenson 2001