Chicken Thighs with Chive Pesto

The freshness of spring and the beauty of flowers combine to make this topping memorable

I planted a small clump of chives in my garden many years ago. I now have four large clumps, and have given away many more starts to friends and relatives. They are hardy in a New England garden, and they are cut-and-come-again all year long. The first edible from the garden in early spring, often when snow is still melting, they remain a gift through to the next snow.

I doubt I make a salad or an egg dish in the summer without them, and they make a most flavorful pesto as well.

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This recipe isn’t really a recipe. It is baked chicken thighs, topped with the pesto. I buy local organic chicken from a farm not far from my home; it has more flavor, is cruelty free, and has not traveled across the country using fossil fuels. You can also use this on other meats, as a sandwich spread, topping for a tomato salad, or sauce for a plate of pasta.

You can add Parmesan cheese if you like to make it a more traditional pesto, but in this dish I prefer it without the dairy.

Chicken Thighs with Chive Pesto

2 tbsp. olive oil

4 organic chicken thighs, bone in, skin on

1/2 tsp. ground sage

Salt and pepper

Chive blossom flowers to garnish

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a cast-iron frying pan over medium high and add the oil.

Place the thighs skin-side down and cook until brown and crispy, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Turn the chicken and place the pan in the oven to finish cooking. This will take from 15 to 25 minutes depending on the size of your thighs.

Remove to a platter and let rest for 10 minutes tented with foil. Top with chive pesto, below, and sprinkle with more chive blossom flowers.

chive pesto

Chive Pesto

In a small food processor or blender, combine:

1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped, packed

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp. pine nuts or walnuts

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt

Process to desired consistency. Place in a bowl and stir in:

3 chive blossoms, florets separated.

Top with a few more chive petals and whole blossoms

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Once you have a clump of chives, you have it forever, and probably all your friends will as well! The flowers aren’t just pretty, use them to add to your chive pesto, or infuse them in vinegar.

© Copyright 2019 – or current year, Dorothy Grover-Read, The New Vintage Kitchen.

4 Comments

  1. Saania2806 says:

    Yum

    1. Thank you so much for commenting!

      1. Saania2806 says:

        My pleasure, nice to meet you! ❤️

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