Pesto chicken

Once again, photos will be forthcoming when the roll of film's used up.

Saturday night I salted some chicken thighs (bone in & skin on) and put them in a baking dish with some imported pesto, which I also placed under the skin. After about 20 hours in the fridge I grilled them indirect at about 375 degrees and they really turned out good, so I recommend this for anyone who likes traditional basil pesto. The little bits that cooked on the grate were nice and crunchy without losing any flavor.

Brad

20 hours in the fridge didn't change the chicken much.




Before grilling the chicken on Sunday I smoked a pork butt for today's chili day at work. All I put on it was salt and pepper and then I smoked it with apple until it reached 160.


The pork and chili turned out pretty good (a coworker actually put it all together) but unfortunately we didn't win, even though it was clearly the best.

What? Store bought Pesto? My Nani is rolling over in her grave right now...

Seriously though - did the cheese burn at all? I've done it before like that but just cut out the cheese.

At least it was imported from Italy! I definitely want to try making my own someday, though.

There wasn't any real burning that I could detect. There was definitely some light charring here and there (especially on the loose ends of the skin) but the pesto really seemed to hold up, especially since it wasn't over direct heat.

Allow me (family recipe):

Pesto Sauce

1/4 Cup Pine Nuts (toatsed*)
2/3 Cloves Garlic, Mashed flat with the flat side of a knife
Pinch Salt
3 Cups Basil Leaves, Loosely Packed - Washed and Dried
1/2 Cup Best Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Fresh grated Parmesan (yes, fresh makes a difference)

Add the nuts, galic and salt to a food processor and process until ground fine. Add the basil and oil and process until smooth (scrape the sides now and again). Add the cheese and pulse to incorporate.

*To toast nuts, add them to a dry (non Teflon) skillet on high heat. Constantly shaking the pan so they don't burn. Remove when fragrant and toasty. These burn quickly so keep an eye on them.

**Optional - substitute 1/4 cup toasted walnuts for the pine nuts and 3 cups parsley for the basil. Add grated lemon rind to mixture - makes a great salsa di nocci for ravioli.

Thanks! That sounds really good and I'll definitely give it a try.