This dish was a little time intensive but oh so worth it. First I made the pesto and applied it as a marinade to the raw chicken with skin removed and fat trimmed. I covered and placed in the fridge for a couple of hours.
With the marinade
Then I saute the chicken with the remaining ingredients, add water, cook down.
Cooking down
Then after cooking down you will have a thick sauce. Shown here served over egg noodles with plain yogurt.
The finished dish.
| Pumpkin Seed Pesto Chicken with Olives & Raisins |
Recipe Type: Main dish
Prep time: 40 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 4
The pesto marinade can be made a day ahead.
Ingredients
- 1/2 whole chicken on the bone, skin removed, fat trimmed and cut into pieces
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds toasted
- Fresh ginger, 1″ square
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 green onions (scallions)
- 1 stalk celery
- Salt & Pepper
- Green Olives – 3-6 depending on taste
- 1/2 c Golden Raisins
- 1 tsp oil
- 1 c chopped onion
- 1 tsp pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Pulse hulled pumpkin seeds in a food process (or if they have their hulls, make it a fine powder with a coffee grinder) Set aside.
- In a food processor combine ingredients ginger through salt and pepper) to a smooth paste. Mix with pumpkin seeds and coat chicken, cover with plastic. Let marinate in fridge for at least an hour.
- Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, add onions and stir for a couple of minutes.
- Add chicken to pan and brown on all sides for several minutes. Add rest of spices, olives and 1 1/2 cup water. Increase heat and stir occasionally. Cook down to a thick sauce, adding water if chicken is not cooked through. Once chicken is cooked, add raisins. Cook a couple minutes more.
Notes
Great served over rice or noodles
recipe
You’ve done it again! Another food item I would never have damreed of cooking without a pot. Wow. We’ll have to give this one a go-although I might use my big oven.