Roast Chicken with Mint-Cilantro Pesto

2 Reviews
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Photo: Jan Smith
Yield
4 servings (serving size: 5 ounces meat)
By Lorrie Hulston Corvin
May 2006
RECIPE BY Cooking Light

A mini chopper is the best appliance for preparing the pesto.

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 3/4-pound) whole roasting chicken
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Cooking spray

Nutritional Information

  • Calories 250
  • Caloriesfromfat 38%
  • Fat 10.6g
  • Satfat 2.7g
  • Monofat 4.4g
  • Polyfat 2.3g
  • Protein 35.6g
  • Carbohydrate 0.6g
  • Fiber 0.2g
  • Cholesterol 106mg
  • Iron 1.9mg
  • Sodium 403mg
  • Calcium 24mg

How to Make It

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375°.

Step 2

Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken; trim excess fat. Starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breasts and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat.

Step 3

Combine mint leaves and the next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor, and process until finely ground. Rub herb mixture under loosened skin and over breasts and drumsticks. Tie ends of legs together with twine. Lift wing tips up and over back, and tuck under chicken. Place the chicken, breast side up, on a rack coated with cooking spray, and place rack in a roasting pan.

Step 4

Bake at 375° for 40 minutes.

Step 5

Increase oven temperature to 450°, and bake an additional 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the meaty part of thigh registers 170°. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 15 minutes. Remove skin from chicken; discard. Carve chicken, and serve immediately.

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Ratings & Reviews

TiffaniNicole's Review

TiffaniNicole
November 19, 2013
We loved the flavor of this dish; my husband is from the Middle East so mint and cilantro are staple flavors in our household. The rub kept the chicken very moist. I added significantly more garlic than the recipe calls for (5 or so cloves). I also squeezed some lemon juice on the outer skin of the chicken and sprinkled it with some fresh chopped herbs (parsely, basil, ets.). We loved the dish and will definitely make it again.

jenni584's Review

jenni584
October 04, 2009
this doesn't have much flavor. i like the flavors of the pesto together but they didn't flavor the chicken. i even squeezed lemon over it but it still lacked flavor. it also took a lot longer to cook than an hour.