Grilled Chicken with Avocado Pesto

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Total: 30 min
  • Active: 30 min
Sorry chicken, avocado is the star in this low-carb and protein-packed dish. It helps make a creamy dairy-free pesto that's filled with heart-healthy fats.
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Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the grill grates

Zest of 1 lemon plus 2 tablespoons juice

2 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves

1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled

1 large ripe avocado

Directions

Special equipment:
Six 12-inch metal skewers or twelve 6-inch bamboo skewers
  1. Prepare an outdoor grill or a grill pan for medium heat.
  2. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of the oil and the lemon zest in a large bowl. Add the chicken to the oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Divide the chicken and thread onto metal or bamboo skewers. 
  3. Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat, tossing frequently, until light golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool.
  4. Combine the pine nuts, basil, parsley, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a food processor. Process to make a coarse paste. Add the avocado, lemon juice and remaining 3 tablespoons oil and process until mostly smooth.
  5. Grill the chicken, turning often, until just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve the chicken dolloped with the pesto and any extra pesto on the side.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Anne K-E

This was really good! Some adjustments based n what I had in my pantry &amp; fridge - added about 1/4 cup f cilantro leaves to the pesto. Also increased the amount of garlic<br /><br />Anyone else having a very hard time writing review content? I really like to see what others thought and their (your) suggestions so I like to include my comments. But the app has been acting very strangely, making it very difficult to actually write a review beyond the stars

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