Wild garlic pesto chicken

Posted by petra08 on April 6, 2013 · 3 Comments 

On my days off I love to go for a nice walk and forage. I didn’t expect to see anything during this cold Easter but much to my surprise I must have found  slightly warmer spot and there was some wild garlic! The smell was unmistakable! I could see it coming in loads of places but here the leaves were quite large already so I picked some. It wasn’t that much, so either I could blanch it and have it for dinner or it would be enough for pesto. Wild garlic makes one of my favourite pestos!

I had some chicken thighs that I had planned to pan fry and have with roast veg but the pesto made me change my mind to make wild garlic pesto chicken. It is of course possible to use any pesto of your preference and/or avaliability but I love the garlic “punch” that this delivers.

Wild garlic pesto

• Wild garlic 
• Macadamia nuts, chopped and roasted in a dry pan
• Parsley, roughly chopped
• extra virgin olive oil

Place everything in a blender and mix, then pour in a clean jar and cover with olive oil.

Wild garlic chicken with roast veg, serves 2, oven 180C

• 4 chicken thighs, de boned and skinned 
• wild garlic pesto
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 butternut squash
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut up in chinks
• 1 onion
• 1 lemon, organic, unwaxed
• Olives
• 1 celery stick, chopped
• Brussels sprouts
• Tomatoes, quartered
• Salt, pepper, paprika powder
• 2 tbsp oil

Mix the oil and spices and add to the veg. Place in an oven proof dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile cover the chicken with pesto and add on top of the veg after the 30 minutes and bake for another 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

I made a cold sauce to go with the chicken from creme fraiche, yoghurt and hot sauce, perfect to balance against the garlicky flavor of the wild pesto. Once everything is cooked squeeze the roast lemon and it will add a lovely fresh but mellow lemon flavor.

 

 

I have entered this to Ren Behan’s great Simple and in Season 

Filed under Allotment/Veg, Brussels sprouts, Butternut Squash, Carrot, Celery, Chicken, Foraging for food, Fruit, Herbs, Home made produce, Hot Sauce, Lemon, Meat, Onion, Potatoes, Recipe, Starch, Tomatoes, Wild Garlic · Tagged with chicken with pesto, wild garlic pesto