Grilled Chicken Thighs With Easy Pesto Sauce Recipes

GRILLED PESTO-MARINATED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix together pesto, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, pepper, and salt in a 1-gallon resealable freezer bag. Add chicken, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove chicken from the marinade and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade.
• Cook chicken on the preheated grill over indirect heat until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 6 to 8 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

GRILLED PESTO STUFFED CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Preheat the grill.
• Loosen skin from thighs to form a pocket; stuff with pesto.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper.
• Grill the chicken, turning once, until cooked through, about 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, mash garlic with 1/8 teaspoon salt to form a paste; stir in 1 tablespoon olive oil and brush on bread slices.
• Toast bread on grill.
• Serve chicken on bread, garlic side up.

GRILLED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH EASY PESTO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat grill to medium heat.
• Blend all ingredients except chicken in blender until smooth. Reserve 1/2 cup pesto sauce.
• Grill chicken 3 min. on each side. Brush with half the remaining pesto sauce; grill 3 to 4 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF), turning and brushing occasionally with remaining sauce.
• Serve chicken with reserved pesto sauce.

GRILLED PESTO CHICKEN SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat.
• Halve the chicken breasts crosswise and pound each piece between two sheets of plastic wrap to an even thickness of about 3/4 inch. Toss the chicken pieces with the crushed red pepper, fennel seed, 1 tablespoon of the oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Brush the insides of the rolls with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
• Grill the chicken, turning once, until just cooked through, 8 to 9 minutes per side. During the last few minutes of cooking time, top each piece of chicken with a slice of mozzarella. Grill the rolls, oiled side down, until warmed and lightly charred, about 1 minute.
• Spread some pesto on the bottom halves of the rolls. Top with a slice of tomato, a piece of chicken, the remaining pesto and the top halves of the rolls.
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CRUNCHY BAKED PESTO CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine panko, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
• Place chicken thighs onto the prepared baking sheet and coat each side with pesto. Press panko mixture onto chicken.
• Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

3-INGREDIENT PESTO-GRILLED CHICKEN WITH PEACHES

Steps:

• Whisk 1 1/2 cups pesto, 1/2 cup oil, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl until smooth. Add chicken to bowl and slide your hand between skin and meat to loosen skin. Rub half of pesto mixture under skin, then half over outside. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat or heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high; oil grate or pan. Season chicken with remaining 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Grill chicken, skin side down, covered, until golden brown and lightly charred, 7-9 minutes. Turn and grill until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, 5-7 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
• Brush peach halves with oil. Reduce heat to medium and grill peaches, cut side down, until warmed through, 2-3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk remaining 1/4 cup pesto and 2 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl. Arrange chicken and peaches on a platter and drizzle pesto sauce over. Serve remaining sauce alongside.

GRILLED CHICKEN SKEWERS WITH DECONSTRUCTED PESTO

Steps:

• Build a fire in your grill; when the flames have died down, all the coals are covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill for about 5 seconds), you're ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn all burners to high, lower cover and heat for 15 minutes, then turn burners to medium.)
• Combine the chicken, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the salt and pepper in a large bowl and toss well to coat, then thread the chicken chunks onto the skewers so they press up against one another but aren't jammed together.
• Put the skewers on the grill directly over the coals and cook, rolling the skewers around every 3 to 4 minutes to ensure all the sides are more or less evenly exposed to the heat, until lightly seared, about 12 to 14 minutes. To check for doneness, make a small cut and peek inside a couple of the chunks to be sure they are opaque all the way through with no pink.
• Slide the chicken chunks off the skewers into a large bowl, add all the other ingredients one after the other, toss well to coat evenly, season to taste if needed and serve.

GARLIC-GRILLED CHICKEN WITH PESTO ZUCCHINI RIBBONS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix the first five ingredients. Add chicken; turn to coat. Let stand 15 minutes., Meanwhile, for noodles, trim ends of zucchini. Using a cheese slicer or vegetable peeler, cut zucchini lengthwise into long thin slices. Cut zucchini on all sides, as if peeling a carrot, until the seeds become visible. Discard seeded portion or save for another use., Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from heat 4-5 minutes on each side or until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165°. Remove from grill; keep warm., In a large nonstick skillet, heat tomatoes and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, salt, pepper flakes and pepper; cook and stir 30 seconds. Add zucchini; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from heat. Stir in pesto., Cut chicken into slices. Serve with zucchini noodles. Top with mozzarella.