Saturday, August 28, 2010

Weekend Cook: Pesto Stuffed Chicken Leg Quarters


Very moist farm-raised chicken with garlicky pesto, served up with steamed haricot vertes and a macaroni casserole.


Easy to do.  I peeled up the skin of the quarter, cut slits in the flesh and stuffed them with partially frozen pesto.  Easier to deal with pesto as a semi-solid, instead of having fresh pesto running everywhere.


Skin back on and ready to go on to a 300f Big Green Egg for about an hour.


Did up the drummies, too.  Cooked the chicken to 170f, and then quickly seared the skin.


Pretty, and looking delicious.


The drummies disappeared while I was putting the leg quarters under foil and a heavy towel to rest.


There's leftovers to deal with, so I'm thinking tacos or a warm salad.  I don't know why I haven't tried this before (stuffing a chicken leg) because it seems like an obvious way to end up with a dish that's both easy and "kicked up" for company.