Roasted Pesto Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Vegetables

My Mom had a love hate relationship with chicken. On one hand she called it the tofu of the meat world and would avoid it at nearly every restaurant that she went. On the other hand she loved Popeye's fried chicken and had to get it every time she came to Tulsa. At home she loved chicken because it is the tofu of the meat world and you can make it taste of whatever flavors you put with it. She loved pesto and the taste of summer that came with it.

Tonight I made my Mom's pesto roasted chicken, roasted veggies and garlic mashed potatoes. The only changes was that I used some different veggies and I used homemade pesto.

Tip: If you grow a garden in the summer, plant basil and make pesto but don't put cheese in in the pesto. Freeze the pesto is a muffin tin and when frozen take the little pesto pucks out and keep in a baggie in your freezer. This is a great way to enjoy pesto year around.

Tip: If you make you own pesto use walnuts instead of pine nuts. Walnuts are 1/3 of the cost of pine nuts and don't burn or go bad as quickly.

The team all assembled



Mom's cookbook recipe as written by my Mom if you see something in ( ) that is me talking. It probable means I changed something a little bit but I want to preserve the recipe as she wrote them.

Roast Pesto Chicken (4)

I roast my Thanksgiving turkey this way when Colin isn't home. The pesto keeps the bird moist and the pesto flavor isn't heavy.

Serve with Parmesan Potatoes and sauteed broccoli with red bell peppers. Makes a very colorful dinner. Many kudos for this dinner and requests for the recipe. (I used different vegges this night.)


1 large roast chicken, 6-7 lbs (I used a 4 lb organic chicken. These were not readily available when the book was written.)
1 7 oz. container of purchased pest sauce. (see tip above)
3 Tbs white wine
3/4 C. plus 2 Tbs chicken broth
2 Tbs. flour
3 Tbs. whipping cream
fresh basil leaf garnish

Pat chicken dry. Slide hand between chicken skin and meat over breast and legs to form pockets. Reserve 1 Tbs. pesto for gravy; spread remaining pesto under the skin and over the breasts and legs, in cavity and over outer skin. Tie legs together to hold shape. Tuck wings under body. Place in a large roasting pan. (can be done 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill)

Preheat oven to 405. Roast chicken for 15 minutes. Reduce temp. to 375 and roast until juices run clear, basting with pan juices (about 1 hour, 15 minutes) (I don't recommend basting but you can if you want. I would cook until instant thermometer read 165 in the thigh) Transfer to platter and  keep warm.

Pour pan juices into a glass measuring cup, degrease. Add wine to roasting pan and bring to boil, scrapping up any browned bits. Add wine mixture and any drippings from the platter to pan juices. Add enough broth to measure 1 cup. Transfer to a heavy saucepan. Combine 2 Tbs. of broth and flour in a bowl; stir until smooth. Add ti saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Boil until reduce to sauce consistency, stirring often about 5 minutes. Mix in cream and reserved 1 Tbs. pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish chicken with basil if desired.

Mashed Potatoes with Buttermilk and Garlic 

This healthful version is made smooth with low-fat buttermilk and is flavored with plenty of garlic that has been tamed by simmering

2 lbs. russet potatoes, cut into 1" pieces ( I used Yukon golds)
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/2-1 C. low-fat buttermilk

Combine potatoes, garlic, bay leaf and salt in a medium saucepan. add enough water to cover potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; discard bay leaf. Return potatoes and garlic to same sauce pan. Mash. heat buttermilk in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir in enough buttermilk into potatoes to achieve desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Roasted Vegetables

8 large asparagus spears
2 med. red onions
4 med. carrots
2 medium zucchini
1/2 lb. shitake or other mushrooms
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 Tbs dried thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 400. Trim woody stems from asparagus. Peel onions and cut into halves. Scrub carrots but do not peel. Cut Zucchini lengthwise. Remove stems from mushrooms

Arrange all the vegetables in a flat pan or a roasting pan in one layer. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme to taste. Roast until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Turn, brush again with olive oil and roast another 15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife.


Finished product