Chicken and Broccoli with Pesto

I promised you another idea for what to do with chicken thighs and half a broccoli so here it is.  As is often the case I went to the BBC Goodfood website again for ideas and this seemed perfect.  The original recipe had some great reviews and I was intrigued by the use of Pesto at the end.  The recipe has been (slightly) adapted from the original in that I replaced the spring greens with leek and reduced the quantities to serve 2.  As it is October I felt I couldn't call it "Spring Chicken in a Pot" so I put my creative hat on and came up with this inspired title: Chicken and Broccoli with Pesto



Chicken and Broccoli with Pesto

 Now I admit it doesn't look particularly attractive but it was very tasty indeed.  The pesto gave an unusual twist to an otherwise light stew and the amount of pesto you use can determine how rich you want it.  Personally I used 2 tablespoons as per the recipe despite it serving only 2.  In hindsight maybe slightly less would be better perhaps by following the exact proportions.  It is, however, easy to add a little to taste and take it from there as it is the last ingredient.

What you will need (what we used for 2):

A small onion
1 leek (finely sliced)
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (chopped)
300 ml of veg stock (we used gluten free)
Half a medium broccoli (cut into small florets)
8 baby new potatoes
100g frozen peas
3 spring onions (finely chopped)
1 or 2 Tablespoons of green pesto
Olive Oil

Method:

First fry the onion and leek in a large, heavy pan in the olive oil for 5 minutes
Then add the chicken and cook till browned

Add the potatoes, stock and a little pepper and bring to a simmer
Cover and cook for 30 minutes
Add the broccoli, peas and spring onion, bring to the boil and cook for a further 5-10 minutes

Stir through the pesto, heat through and serve








So give it a go.  Its nice and healthy, great for the freezer and you can even pretend it is still spring!!