A flavorful and easy-to-make chicken dish which showcases the flavors of the mediterranean.
Ingredients
450g boneless chicken thighs
4 osaji Monti Pesto Genovese
16 large Anchovy-stuffed green olives, halved
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
Olive oil
2 osaji Water
Fresh lemon juice
Black pepper
Salt
Steps
1. Prep the chicken. Cut into substantial 4–5cm bite-size pieces. Pat very dry. Season generously with black pepper. Because the pesto, olives, anchovy filling, and tomatoes are already salty, skip salt or use only a tiny pinch.
2. Brown properly. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat with 1 kosaji olive oil. Add chicken in a single layer and leave the first side mostly undisturbed for about 3 minutes. Turn and cook another 2–3 minutes until several surfaces are genuinely golden-brown.
3. Add onion. Reduce to medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly colored.
4. Cook through. Continue until the chicken is fully cooked, firm but still juicy, with no pink remaining in the center.
Finishing the Chicken
5. Warm the pantry accents. Add the 70g semi-dried tomatoes and 8 olives. Toss for about 1 minute only, just enough to warm them through while keeping their individual character.
6. Lower the heat. Turn the heat to low before adding the pesto. Do not fry pesto aggressively.
7. Coat, don’t drown. Add 4 osaji pesto and 2 osaji water. Toss gently for 30–60 seconds until the pesto loosens into a thin glossy coating. If still too thick, add up to 1 additional osaji water.
8. Finish with lemon. Turn off the heat. Add 1 osaji fresh lemon juice and generous black pepper. Toss once more. If the dish still feels heavy, add another 1 kosaji lemon juice.
9. Taste before salt. Only add extra salt if the finished dish genuinely tastes flat.text
Serve With
Source & Adoption Notes
The two things to protect are the chicken browning and the pesto’s freshness. Brown first, then lower the heat before the pesto goes in. Four osaji is enough for 450g chicken: the goal is a glossy coating, not a pool of oily green sauce.
