recipe | Roast Chicken with Avocado & Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Today I want to introduce you to a series that I will be posting over the coming weeks.

Foxes Den is now over 9 years old and I must say over this time there has never been a shortage of chicken in our house. Thankfully we never seem to get sick of it, although over the years I have scoured recipe books, searched the web and come up with my own concoctions of new and interesting ways to use cooked roast chicken meat.

I think that I could possibly post a recipe a week for the next year and still have more to share but lets just see how we go……..

There is a good reason that chicken is the #1 meat eaten across the globe. Chicken is such a versatile meat, it is lean source of protein as can be added to just about any savoury dish.

Today the recipe that I am going to share with you is so simple and so delicious and there are several ways you can use this flavoursome delight.

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Roast Chicken with Avocado & Pumpkin Seed Pesto, Sandwich - Serves 2

A healthy and hearty sandwich that is just SO good!

Ingredients

  • 300-350g of skinless roast chicken meat

  • Salt and pepper

  • 2 tablespoons raw pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)

  • 1/2 ripe avocado

  • 1 cup packed basil leaves

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  • 1 small clove garlic

  • 3 tablespoons water

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 large carrots, shredded for crunch (can also sub tomato slices)

  • 4 slices bread

  • 1 cup rocket

Method

  1. Shred, pull or chop chicken

  2. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the pepitas and toast until golden

  3. Immediately transfer pepitas to the bowl of a food processor and add in avocado, basil, lemon juice, garlic, water and salt. Process until smooth, adding another tablespoon of water if necessary. Add pesto to bowl with the chicken and mix to combine.

  4. Toast bread, top one slice with half of pesto chicken mixture, half of shredded carrots, and as much arugula as you'd like. Top with remaining slice.

*Pesto can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, pepitas can substituted for a nut of choice.

There are many way that you can use this delicious roast chicken and pesto mix, here are some of my favourites but play around with it and get creative.

  • If don’t feel like eating bread, try in a lettuce cup, light and refreshing

  • Toss through pasta either hot of cold

  • Toss with a grain and some roast veggies - I love this with quinoa but any grain will do.

  • Toss simply with some roasted sweet potato

YUM!

I look forward to sharing with you more delicious ways of using your left over roast chicken.

With love, Heidi xx

Heidi DytFoxes Den