Arugula Pesto Chicken Recipes

ARUGULA PESTO

Steps:

• Brown the garlic: Brown 6 garlic cloves with their peels on in a skillet over medium high heat until the garlic is lightly browned in places, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan, cool, and remove the skins.
• Toast the nuts: Toast the nuts in a pan over medium heat until lightly brown, or heat in a microwave on high heat for a minute or two until you get that roasted flavor. In our microwave it takes 2 minutes.
• 3a Process in food processor: (the fast way) Combine the arugula, salt, walnuts, roasted and raw garlic into a food processor. Pulse while drizzling the olive oil into the processor. Remove the mixture from the processor and put it into a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. 3b Use Mortar and pestle Combine the nuts, salt and garlic in a mortar. With the pestle, grind until smooth. Add the cheese and olive oil, grind again until smooth. Finely chop the arugula and add it to the mortar. Grind up with the other ingredients until smooth.
• Adjust to taste: Because the pesto is so dependent on the individual ingredients, and the strength of the ingredients depends on the season or variety, test it and add more of the ingredients to taste. Serve with pasta, over freshly roasted potatoes , or as a sauce for pizza . Links: Mortar and Pestle Pesto de Roquette et Pesto Rouge from Clotilde of Chocolate and Zucchini

PESTO CHICKEN RECIPE WITH VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Pat chicken breast cutlets dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. (Boneless skinless chicken breasts can be used, simply cut them in half horizontally so that you have thinner pieces. Watch the video to see how I do this).
• In large cast iron skillet, heat a little bit of extra virgin olive oil (about 2 tbsp) until shimmering but not smoking in a cast iron skillet. Add chicken to the heated skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, turning over once. Remove from the skillet and set aside for now.
• If needed, add a little bit more extra virgin olive oil to the skillet. Add zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and grape tomatoes. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes or so, tossing occasionally, until the veggies have softened.
• In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, mix together the basil pesto and cream.
• Add the chicken back to the skillet. Pour the pesto and cream mixture in. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for a minute or so.
• Remove the skillet from the heat, add lemon juice and lemon zest. Add pine nuts and fresh basil for garnish. Serve hot with your favorite grain or plain orzo pasta.

ARUGULA PESTO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Pulse arugula, basil, pine nuts, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until chopped. While processing, gradually add 1/4 cup oil in a steady stream until mixture is smooth. Using a shredder or spiralizer, shred zucchini lengthwise into long strands., In a large skillet, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Add zucchini strands and chicken. Cook and stir until zucchini is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes., Remove from heat. Add tomatoes, pesto, pepper and remaining salt; toss to coat. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve using a slotted spoon.,

ARUGULA PESTO

Steps:

• Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and drop in the garlic cloves. When they are chopped and adhering to the sides, stop the machine, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the walnuts. Turn on the machine, and process until they are finely ground. Scrape down the bowl again, and add the arugula and the salt. Pulse until the arugula is finely chopped, then turn on the machine and run while you slowly drizzle in the olive oil. When the mixture is smooth, stop the machine, scrape down the sides and process for another 30 seconds or so. Scrape out into the bowl of a mortar and pestle. Grind the mixture with the pestle for a smoother texture. Work in the cheese and combine well.

ARUGULA PISTACHIO PESTO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rinse the chicken under cold water and pat dry. Slip your fingers under the breast skin and gently create a pocket the length of both breasts. Season the inside of the cavity with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Add the arugula and 5 cloves of the garlic to a food processor fitted a blade. Pulse 3 to 4 times, then add 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lemon and pulse 3 to 4 more times. Add the cheese and pistachios, and with the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Scrape down sides and pulse a few more times. Adjust seasoning, if necessary.
• Gently work half of the pesto under the breast skin. Reserve the other half of the pesto. Put the other lemon half into the cavity along with the remaining 2 peeled garlic cloves. Rub the chicken all over with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Season the outside of the chicken with the remaining salt and pepper. Tuck the wing tips under the bird, and truss the chicken. Put the chicken, on its side, into a roasting pan and put in hot oven. Roast at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, rotate chicken onto other side, and roast for 15 minutes more. Carefully turn chicken onto its back (breast side up), reduce heat to 350 degrees F and roast for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, begin basting it with the pan juices. Repeat until chicken is done and an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F.
• Remove the roasting pan from the oven, put the chicken on a carving board and tent it with foil. Remove the fat on the top of the pan juices. Put the roasting pan over a burner on medium heat and add 1/3 cup of the reserved pesto. Stir and incorporate it into the pan juices along with any bits that might be on the bottom of the pan. Whisk the cornstarch and the half-and-half in a small bowl and slowly add it to the pan. Stir continually until the mixture starts to thicken. Adjust seasonings, if necessary, and pour it into a serving bowl.
• Carve the chicken, arrange it on a serving platter and serve with the sauce.

CHICKEN WITH ARUGULA PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs; about 3 minutes before the pasta is done, add the green beans. Drain the pasta and beans and rinse under cold water. Toss with half of the cheese, 1 tablespoon olive oil, the lemon zest and salt.
• Preheat the broiler. Puree the arugula, parsley, nuts, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons water, the remaining cheese and 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt to taste in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl.
• Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to about 1/2 inch thick. Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet and season with salt. Rub all over with 1/4 cup of the arugula pesto and broil, turning once, until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
• Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up on another baking sheet and broil 2 minutes. Spread each with some pesto and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Broil until golden, 1 more minute. Serve the chicken, tomatoes and pasta salad with the remaining pesto.

CHICKEN AND ARUGULA PITA POCKETS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Arrange the pita halves on a baking sheet and bake for 5 to 7 minutes until warmed through.
• In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest and Arugula Pesto. Stir in the diced chicken.
• To assemble the pita pockets, fill each pita half with the chicken mixture. Top with tomatoes and 1/4 cup arugula and serve.
• For the pesto, blend the arugula and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the oil until well blended. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in Parmesan and salt and pepper.

POACHED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH ARUGULA PESTO SAUCE

Steps:

• Make arugula pesto sauce:
• In a food processor pulse together all sauce ingredients except oil and water until arugula is chopped fine. With motor running add oil in a stream, blending mixture until smooth. Sauce may be made up to this point 1 week ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap. Bring sauce to room temperature to continue. Stir in 1/4 cup hot water plus additional for thinner consistency if desired.
• In a 6-quart saucepan bring broth and water to a boil. Add chicken and simmer, covered, 9 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let chicken stand in cooking liquid, covered, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Chicken may be poached 1 day ahead, cooled completely, uncovered, in cooking liquid, and chilled, covered. Bring chicken to room temperature to continue. Drain chicken and slice 1/4 inch thick. Serve chicken with sauce.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH ARUGULA PESTO

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan to high.
• Toast the nuts lightly in small skillet over low heat, then add them to a food processor.
• Add the arugula, basil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste, and pulse to combine.
• With the processor on, stream in the extra-virgin olive oil to form thick pesto.
• Lightly pound out the chicken, then rub all sides with the pesto. Spray the grill pan with cooking spray or rub with a little oil and grill the chicken 2 to 4 minutes on each side.
• Cook's Note: Serve sliced on top of Caesar Spaghetti or, pile it onto ciabatta bread with sliced tomatoes and mozzarella for an outta-sight sammy.

SHEET-PAN ROASTED CHICKEN WITH PEARS AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees with a rack in the center.
• Pat the chicken dry and trim excess fat and skin. Sprinkle all over with 2 teaspoons salt, and season with pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the red-pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, ginger and oil. On a sheet pan, rub the chicken and pears all over with the mixture. Arrange chicken skin-side up and pears skin-side down. Cook until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees at the thickest part) and the pears are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes, add the sunflower seeds to the pan. If there's a lot of fat when finished cooking, tilt the pan and spoon it off until there's a light coating on the surface of the pan.
• Scatter the arugula on top, and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with herbs, if using. Cut the remaining lemon half in quarters and serve.