Classic Basil Pesto
Fresh garden basil in classic pesto
This hearty dinner plays well to all sorts of improvisation. Use whatever greens and herbs are on hand for the pesto. Add cherry tomatoes or olives before baking and serve with creamy burrata. The fat from the chicken skin cooks into the beans, creating super flavorful beans with yummy juices to sop up with a baguette. Watch us making this dish on Instagram.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried white beans
Herb Pesto
- 1/2 cup spring or white onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups arugula, kale or spinach
- Handful mint, cilantro or parsley
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Chicken
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or 3 leg quarters
Instructions
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To quick-soak beans, place dried beans in a saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 2 hours. Drain beans and cook covered with water 20 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Drain excess water.
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Preheat oven to 375F.
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To prepare Herb Pesto, place onion and garlic in food processor, pulse until chopped. Add greens and herbs and pulse again. Add oil and salt and pulse until blended. Remove from processor and stir in Parmesan.
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Place cooked beans in a 9x13-inch or shallow baking dish. Nestle in chicken thighs, skin-side up. Dollop pesto around chicken. Cover and bake 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes or until chicken is done and skin is crispy. Serve with baguette and creamy burrata cheese.
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LUNCH Café
When Chef Mallory Grimm moved from Nashville to Sewanee, Tennessee, a couple years ago to open LUNCH, she elevated the food offerings on Monteagle Mountain. With a focus on local ingred...
