Serves 4
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 25 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Pesto
90 ml (3 fl oz) olive oil
50 g (2 oz) pine nuts, toasted
50 g (2 oz) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
50 g (2 oz) basil leaves, plus extra to garnish
15 g (½ oz) flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a nonstick frying pan over a medium heat, add the chicken thighs and pan-fry gently, turning frequently, for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
Put all the the pesto, put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside to keep warm. Reduce the heat to as low as possible, add the pesto and heat through very gently for 2–3 minutes.
Pour the warmed pesto over the chicken thighs, garnish with extra basil and serve with roasted Mediterranean vegetables (see below), steamed vegetables or a spinach salad.
For roasted Mediterranean vegetables, add 500 g (1 lb) scrubbed baby new potatoes to a roasting tin, halving any large ones. Add ½ red pepper and ½ yellow pepper, both cored, deseeded and cut into chunks, 1 red onion, cut into chunks, 1 sliced large courgette and 2–3 roughly chopped garlic cloves. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and roast in a preheated oven, 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6, for 30 minutes, turning once, until the potatoes are golden.