Pesto roasted chicken

Last summer we grew carrots for the first time, and as first time “real” gardeners, we actually reaped a pretty decent harvest! We grew an excellent crop of carrots with huge, bushy green tops! What a magnificent joy it was to see these wispy carrot tops grow and grow above the ground and then discover the most vibrant thick orange carrots growing ever so secretly beneath the surface when it was time to pick. What fun!

We ate all our delicious carrots up and boy were they sweet and perfectly crunchy. But we were left with an over abundance of fragrant carrot tops. Most people would discard these, but not this resourceful home cook! Carrot top greens are so sweet, floral, earthy and uniquely tasty. You can chop them up and toss them in salads, use them as you would other herbs to garnish soups or other dishes, or you can do what I did and make carrot top pesto. Making pesto with your carrot tops is an excellent way to make sure nothing from your garden goes to waste. This recipe will make a lot of pesto, but it freezes excellently! I like to freeze mine in silicon ice trays so that I can take out individual portions as needed.

I have made carrot top pesto before, and I make it with whatever nuts or seeds and herbs I have in the kitchen. In fact, I made a rendition of this several years ago and ate it as more of a hummus. You can check out that carrot top hummus recipe here! This time, I used pumpkin seeds. In a food processor I blended together the carrot tops, pumpkin seeds, lemon zest and juice, salt, garlic, and a bit of water into a thick paste. If I have any scallions or herbs on hand, I will add those as well, but this time I did not and the pesto still came out wonderfully.

This pesto is delicious tossed with pasta; mixed into rice; tossed with tomatoes and cucumbers for a cool summer salad; tucked under chicken skin for a moist, flavorful roast chicken; mixed into mayonnaise or yogurt for a pesto aioli; or even mixed into ground meat for pesto meatballs.

A few weeks ago, I made some mediterranean meatballs for my husband and kids and topped it with a pesto aioli. For the meatballs, I mixed organic, grass-fed ground beef with almond flour, salt, black pepper, oregano, dried dill, ground cumin, and ground coriander. And for the aioli, I mixed a few tablespoons of my pesto with avocado oil mayonnaise (we like Primal Kitchen brand) and topped the meatballs with it after they came out of the oven. Served with rice, it was a huge hit for the family!

And last week, I decided to use some of my pesto on roasted chicken legs. I mixed the pesto with extra salt and pepper to season the chicken. Then, I gently lifted the chicken skin away from the meat and tucked in a bit of pesto for each leg and then pressed the skin back down onto the meat to spread out the pesto. If you were to just rub the pesto on top of the chicken skin as it roasts, the pesto would burn too quickly and all that flavor would be lost as it crumbled off the meat; tucking the pesto under the skin ensures all that pesto-y goodness stays on your chicken, seasoning it, keeping it moist and delicious. I placed chunks of potatoes at the bottom of the baking dish, acting as a bed for the chicken, soak up all the flavorful chicken drippings and juices.

Carrot top pesto

juice and zest from two lemons
4 oz. organic raw sprouted pumpkin seeds, such as Go Raw
6 cloves garlic
3-4 cups carrot top greens, stems and all
salt to taste
water

In a food processor or high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix, combine all the ingredients. Puree until you achieve a smooth paste. Place in a jar in the refrigerator or freeze into individual portions for later use.

Roasted chicken

3 lbs. organic bone-in, skin-on chicken legs or thighs
2-3 tsp. coarse salt
black pepper
2-3 Tbsp. carrot top pesto, recipe above
3 large red potatoes, cut into chunks

Preheat the oven to 425F. Mix the pesto with the salt and gently rub underneath the chicken skins. Place the potatoes on the bottom of your glass baking dish. Top the potatoes with the seasoned chicken and then season the chicken with more salt and black pepper. Bake at 425F for 10 minutes to crisp the chicken skins. Then drop the temperature to 350F and bake for another 40-45 minutes. If the potatoes need a little longer to cook, remove the chicken from the dish and place the potatoes back into the oven until golden and crispy. Enjoy!