Okay, I cook a lot. For those of you who know me this may be an understatement. I LOVE cooking for people, entertaining and especially doing these for and with my friends. So recently I saw a recipe close to the one I'm sharing here, but as I always do I altered it. Guilty. I've had people ask me for recipes over the years and sometimes I just have nothing to say. I cook by instinct and I rarely measure anything. After disappointing people enough I've started to try to pay attention, especially if I'm driven to share a success with others. So here we go, as close as I can remember.
I made this chicken dish a couple of weeks ago and I'm still thinking about it. It was dead easy and it was a taste explosion! I mean, just look at it! The key was the roasted red pepper spread which has a bunch of yummy spices and eggplant in it. (slurp)
I made this chicken dish a couple of weeks ago and I'm still thinking about it. It was dead easy and it was a taste explosion! I mean, just look at it! The key was the roasted red pepper spread which has a bunch of yummy spices and eggplant in it. (slurp)
Roasted Artichoke, Red Pepper & Pesto Chicken
1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs. (You know you love them)
1 can artichoke hearts, rough chopped
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 c. chicken stock
1/3 c. roasted red pepper spread aka Avjar (I used Roland brand but Trader Joe's also has one)
3 T. Basil Pesto
Roast at 375 degrees until chicken is almost falling apart. I estimate around 45 minutes. (This gives the yummy goodness time to soak in.) I used a large roasting pan so there was sauce around each piece but the crock pot would work awesome.
Now, a couple of disclaimers here. First, I used a bag of frozen diced onions because I was too lazy to chop my own and it was faster.Second, I used my homemade pesto. This may not make a big difference in overall flavor but if you want to use my pesto recipe I'm including it below.
Leanne's Scrumptious Basil Cashew Pesto
1 bag organic basil (I get this at the store where I work and it's a healthy size bunch. I'd say about 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups of basil leaves)
1 good handful of raw cashews
3 T. parmesan cheese (if you're dairy free you could try some nutritional yeast or dairy free parmesan)
salt & pepper -a good pinch of both
Good quality organic olive oil.
2 good sized cloves of garlic
Place all ingredients in a food processor and drizzle in the olive oil s-l-o-w-l-y until you get a smooth paste but not runny. For me the secret to this pesto is the cashews, they really give it a boost but of course feel free to use whatever nut you fancy.
Bon Apetit!
