Cilantro Pesto Chicken and Crash Potatoes

Ok, it is fairly well known that I am a big fan of chicken and potatoes.  We have this meal fairly often because I am all about quick and easy and these items usually lend themselves to this concept.  Therefore I am always looking for new ways to do them.  Monday Taylor was off work and hanging out at home helping me take care of Logan, so I had a little more time than normal.  That is why I could try a little more involved marinade and potatoes that take a little longer than usual.

This chicken marinade comes from Weber's Real Grilling by Jamie Purviance.  I usually don't like it when guys have the same name as me, but I'll give this guy a pass because his recipes are THAT good! ;)

This book is awesome!  He has huge color photos for each recipe, which is a must in a cookbook in my opinion.  If it doesn't have pictures, I probably won't spend much time looking at it.  After all, we eat with our eyes first, right?  The same is true for me when perusing recipes.  What looks good usually gets my attention the quickest.

I've made pesto before and honestly it didn't turn out as good as the stuff you can buy in a jar.  I was inspired to try this recipe because it was a cilantro pesto and cilantro has to be my favorite herb ever!  I only had one addition to the marinade recipe and that was some vinegar because when I tasted it, it was a little bitter for my tastes.  The vinegar solved that problem for me.  This pesto didn't have any parmesan cheese in it, so I decided to make some parmesan crisps to go along with the chicken.  They didn't really turn out like I wanted, so I crumbled them over the chicken and it tasted great.  I really like the flavor of toasted parmesan cheese.  In the words of Rachel Ray, YUMO!

The potatoes didn't really turn out like the Pioneer Woman's crash potatoes, but they were good.  I used white potatoes, but I don't think I boiled them long enough.  They were fork tender, but they didn't smash all that well.  I also don't have a potato masher so I used the bottom of a heavy glass.  So maybe those reasons were my downfall.  They tasted good anyway. :)

Cilantro Pesto Chicken

Source: Weber's Real Grilling - Jamie Purviance

4 tbsp coarsely chopped walnuts

4 medium garlic cloves

3 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

1 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves and tender stems

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

3 chicken breasts

Pulse walnuts and garlic cloves in the food processor until it makes a paste.  Add the cilantro, parsley, salt and pepper until mixed.  Then stream in oil with the motor running.  Place the chicken in a resealable bag and marinade for 2 hours.