Roasted Herb Chicken with Pistachio Salsa
Friday, November 9, 2012 at 4:01AM 
By Zoe McLaughlin
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Roasted chicken thighs are easy to make, but ordinary. Dress them up by rubbing an herb paste under the skin to season the meat and create a ton of flavor without a lot of work. It’s important to use fresh herbs when making the paste because fresh herbs have a brighter, cleaner flavor than dried ones.
Use a mortar and pestle or finely chop the herbs together to release the oils, intensifying the fragrance. This recipe uses chicken thighs but you could use skin-on chicken breast or even a whole chicken. The key is to separate the chicken skin from the flesh, leaving the sides of the skin attached, creating a pocket for the herbs, to seal in the flavor.
The pistachio salsa is a delightful accompaniment to the chicken and also tastes great with any white fish. It can be made up to a day ahead. Use raw unsalted pistachios because roasted pistachios won't absorb as much of the oil. The grated lemon peel adds a touch of acidity and the parsley and chives add fresh flavor notes.
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Roasted Herb Chicken with Pistachio Salsa
Serves 2 to 4
1 cup unsalted raw pistachios, chopped
1/2 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup roughly chopped chives
3 tablespoons grated lemon peel, divided
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for rubbing chicken
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh sage
4 bone-in chicken thighs with skin on
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
Mashed potatoes or rice
To make the pistachio salsa: In a medium bowl combine pistachios, parsley, chives, 2 tablespoons of the lemon peel, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pinch of ground pepper and 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Mix well to combine all ingredients. Set salsa aside.
To make the herb paste: In a mortar add thyme, rosemary, sage, remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon peel, pinch of salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Use pestle to grind ingredients together to make a paste. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, finely chop all herbs and lemon peel, place in bowl and mix in the salt and olive oil.
To stuff chicken: Gently separate chicken skin from flesh making sure to leave the sides of the skin attached to the chicken to form a pocket. Using your finger, spread a quarter of the paste under the skin; repeat for remaining chicken pieces. Rub brown sugar on the skins.
Place chicken in a shallow baking dish and roast in a 375°F oven for about 35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. To test for doneness, pierce the thickest chicken thigh with a knife. Juices should run clear; not pink. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.
Recipe by Zoe McLaughlin
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Reader Comments (1)
The pistachio salsa looks great! I'm going to try it on a whole roast chicken.