'Nduja chicken thighs with tomato, mozzarella and pesto
Our spicy 'nduja chicken thigh recipe celebrates the classic trifecta of Italian flavours; tomato, mozzarella and basil. Ready within 30 minutes, the versatile dish makes a perfect dinner for 2, served with bread, pasta or rice.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Chicken
- 4 boneless chicken thighs, skin-on
- 4 tbsp of 'nduja
- 2 dashes of vegetable oil
Tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 400g tin of chopped tomato, good quality
- 100g of chicken stock
- 1 mozzarella cheese, or ideally 1 tub of the small mozzarella balls (called Bocconcini), drained
- salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pesto
- 1 handful of basil, chopped
- 1 tbsp of pine nuts
- 7g of Parmesan, finely grated
- 1/2 garlic clove
- 20ml of vegetable oil
- 20ml of extra virgin olive oil
- lemon juice, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- salt, to taste
Equipment
- Hand blender
Method
Begin by marinating the chicken thighs. Mix the 'nduja with a dash of oil and stir to create a slightly looser paste. Use this to cover the chicken thighs on both sides. You can cook straight away, or leave to marinate for an hour
- 4 tbsp of 'nduja
- 1 dash of vegetable oil
- 4 boneless chicken thighs, skin-on
Place a pan over a medium heat with the oil, sliced garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the garlic is just starting to soften. Add the tinned tomatoes, bring to a simmer then turn down and gently cook for 15 minutes. Once you're happy with the flavour and texture, use a hand blender to blitz the tomatoes into a smooth sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then set aside
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 400g tin of chopped tomato, good quality
- salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Place a large, heavy-bottomed shallow pan over a high heat with a dash of oil and place the chicken thighs in skin-side down. Cook for around 8 minutes until the skin has crisped up and turned a deep golden brown
- 1 dash of vegetable oil
Remove the chicken from the pan then pour in the blitzed tomato sauce with the chicken stock and stir. Place the chicken thighs back into the pan skin-side up so the skin remains crisp whilst the sauce cooks through the rest of the meat. Bring to a simmer then turn the heat down and cook for 10 minutes
- 100g of chicken stock
As the chicken cooks through, make the pesto. Place the garlic and pine nuts in a pestle and mortar and grind to a paste. Add the Parmesan and basil and grind some more, then pour in both oils and stir. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper, then set aside
- 1 handful of basil, chopped
- 1 tbsp of pine nuts
- 7g of Parmesan, finely grated
- 1/2 garlic clove
- 20ml of vegetable oil
- 20ml of extra virgin olive oil
- lemon juice, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- salt, to taste
Dot the mozzarella balls into the sauce in between the chicken pieces and cook for a further 2 minutes. If you're using a single large ball of mozzarella, just tear it into pieces and scatter it into the tomatoes
- 1 mozzarella cheese, or ideally 1 tub of the small mozzarella balls (called Bocconcini), drained
Remove from the heat and drizzle over the pesto. Bring to the table and serve with bread, rice or pasta
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