Chicken Salad Sandwiches With Walnut Dill Pesto Recipes

CHICKEN PESTO SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. Spread 1 tablespoon pesto over each chicken breast; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink., Spread 3 tablespoons pesto over six slices of toast; layer with red peppers, chicken and cheese. Spread remaining pesto over remaining toast; place over top.

THE REAL "DILL" CHICKEN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Butterfly chicken breasts and set aside. In a food processor combine the dill and parsley and pulse until finely chopped. Reserve 1/4 cup of the herb mixture for spread, set aside.
• In a plastic bag set in a medium bowl, combine remaining herb mixture, half the lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken in a plastic bag, add marinade, seal, and massage to distribute marinade evenly on the chicken. Refrigerate 1 hour, flipping once halfway through.
• Meanwhile to make the herb spread, in a small bowl mix together remaining herb mixture, remaining lemon juice, lemon zest, sour cream, mayonnaise, pepperoncini, and salt and pepper, to taste.
• Preheat grill to medium-high. Remove chicken from bag being careful not to remove herbs. Season with salt and pepper and cook on grill, turning once, until juices run clear, approximately 6 minutes on each side. Remove to a cutting board and cut each breast in half.
• To assemble sandwich: cut ciabatta pieces in half horizontally, slather one side of bread with dill-pepperoncini spread. Place chicken on other slice, top with baby greens, and finish with the piece of bread covered with dill-pepperoncini sauce.

PESTO CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in chicken, celery and walnuts.
• Spread 1/2°C of salad onto each of 10 bread slices. Top each serving with about 2 tablespoons bell pepper, 1 lettuce leaf, and one bread slice.

SMALL BATCH DILL PESTO

Steps:

• Place dill fronds (a few stems are OK), walnuts, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes into the bowl of a food processor. If you have a mini or small food processor, it will be large enough for this recipe.
• Pulse until everything is minced well, scraping down the sides as necessary. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil, blending for a few seconds until smooth.
• If not serving immediately, store the pesto in an airtight container and chill until ready to use.

DILL PESTO

Steps:

• Combine leaves of dill sprig, pine nuts, parsley, garlic, and Parmesan cheese in a food processor. Pulse until completely combined, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, a small squirt of lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; pulse again.
• Taste for seasonings. Add 1 more tablespoon olive oil and pulse again. Continue adding olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until pesto has the desired flavor and consistency.

SPATCHCOCKED CHICKEN WITH WALNUT-DILL PESTO

Steps:

• Remove the packets of giblets from the body of the chickens and set aside for another use. Remove and discard the fat just inside the body and neck cavities of the chickens. Rinse the chickens, inside and out, under cold running water and then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels.
• Spatchcock the chickens: Place the chicken on its breast. Using poultry shears, start at the neck and cut lengthwise down one side of the backbone to the tail. Next, repeat that cut along the otherside of the backbone. Remove the backbone and save it for stock.
• Now, fold the chicken open, like a book, with the skin side down. Use a paring knife to cut along each side of the breastbone. Run your thumbs along both sides of the breastbone and pull the white cartilage out.
• Turn the skin side up and trim the wingtips and any loose skin. The chicken is now spatchcocked. Place the chickens in a nonreactive roasting pan.
• Prepare the pesto: Place the dill, basil, garlic, walnuts, cheese and lemon zest in a food processor and process until very finely chopped. With the machine runing, add the oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and 3/4 cup water. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary; the pesto shuld be highly seasoned. Set 1/2 cup pesto aside. pour the remaining pesto over the chickens, spreading it on the meat with a rubber spatula. Turn the birds so you coat both sides. Let the chickens marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for as little as 2 hours or as long as overnight, turning once or twice to coat with marinade; the longer the chickens marinate, the richer the flavor will be.
• Set up the grill for direct grilling and preheat to medium. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grate. Arrange the chickens on the grate, skin=side down. Grill for 12 to 15 minutes per side, turning once with tongs and a spatula. the chickens can be a little awkward to turn; you'll need to use both utensils. When you turn the chickens, spread the reserved 1/2 cup pesto on top. You'll probably get flare-ups as the melting fat hits the fire. Keep the birds moving to dodge the flames. If the skin browns to much, lower the heat or move the chickens to a cooler section of the grill. The chickens are done when an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh (but not touching the bone) registers about 180 degrees F.
• Transfer the chickens to a plater, let rest for a few minutes, garnish with the dill sprigs and lemon wedges, and serve.
• Tip 1: Any bird can be spatchcocked and grilled in this fashion, from qual to turkeys.
• Tip 2: Feel free to make the pesto with rosemary (1 cup of leaves) or another fresh herb.