Basil Cilantro And Macadamia Nut Chicken Recipes

BASIL, CILANTRO AND MACADAMIA NUT CHICKEN

Steps:

• Put ginger, garlic and peppers into a food processor and process til smooth.
• Add macadamia nuts and continue to process.
• Add oil, lime juice yogurt, basil, cilantro and spices and process again until smooth.
• Put the chicken in a medium bowl, and add the mixture, stirring to coat all pieces.
• Cover and refrigerate chicken for 12 hours.
• This step is not necessarily required (I have made it after marinating for only 1/2 hour, but the flavor is much better if you do let it marinate).
• Heat a bit of oil (2 tbls) in a wok, or deep dish fry pan.
• Add chicken and its marinade to pan and cook thoroughly, stirring frequently, until marinade sticks to chicken.
• This will take about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour.
• The mixture will look soupy at first, and then begin to thicken up as the sauce reduces.
• I like a little heat, so I also add a little chili oil to the dish.
• Serve with steamed jasmine or basmati rice.

CRUNCHY MACADAMIA NUT CHICKEN OVER TROPICAL FRUIT PAELLA

Steps:

• Tropical Fruit Paella:.
• Put the rice in a sieve and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear. Drain well. In a saucepan, heat 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sautee for about 3 minutes, until soft. Add the rice, lemongrass and salt and stir well. Add the stock, stir, cover and cook for 12 to 14 minutes over medium heat until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Remove and discard the lemongrass.
• Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the remaining 2 Tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and sautee for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper, green onion, water chestnuts, and all the fruits and saute lightly for about 2 minutes, until heated through. Add this mixture to the rice and toss to combine. Keep warm until serving time.
• Pineapple Chutney Dipping Sauce:.
• Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
• Chicken:.
• Put the rolled oats in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl. Put the macadamia nuts in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not stuck together. Add the nuts to the oatmeal and mix well. Add the flour, thyme and Parmesan cheese and mix well again. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Dip the chicken breasts into the melted butter. Dredge the breasts in the oats mixture until they are well coated.
• In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts skin side down and fry, turning once, for about 4 minutes on each side, until crispy and brown and cooked through. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• To Serve:.
• Put a spoonful of the paella in the center of each plate and top with a chicken breast. Serve with the dipping sauce alongside.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH MACADAMIA NUT PESTO

Steps:

• For pesto sauce:.
• In food processor with steel blade, process basil, garlic, add nuts and salt. With machine running, pour in olive oil in thin stream through feed tube; process till blended. Chill. (May ne frozen at this point). before using, blend in parmesan. makes one cup.
• For filling:.
• Heat oven to 350. Toasts nuts in oven for 3 minutes; set aside. In ten inch skillet, steam spinach over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; drain. Rinse in cold water to stop cooking process. Place spinach in dry towel and squeeze till excess liquid is gone. Chop medium-fine. In small skillet, saute onion in butter over low heat; set aside. In large bowl, combine nuts, spinach, onions, pesto, yolk, pepper and salt.
• To assemble:.
• Heat oven to 375. Place half slice of prosciutto on each chicken breast.Spread filling evenly over prosciutto. Beginning with small end, roll up chicken. Place chicken rolls seam down in greased medium baking dish. Melt butter, remove from hear and add lemon juice; spoon over chicken. Bake 25-30 minutes basting with pan juices. chill. Slice chicken. Lighten remaining pesto with 4 tbsp mayonnaise and serve with chicken.

CHICKEN WITH GINGER-CILANTRO PESTO

Steps:

• Combine first 5 ingredients in processor. Blend until nuts are finely chopped. Add 6 tablespoons oil and process until well blended. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)
• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sauté until brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes per side.
• Transfer chicken breasts to plates. Top each with some pesto and serve.