Categories Food, Food, Food + Drinks, Recipes

RECIPE: Easy Weeknight Pistachio-Mustard Chicken and Saffron Courgette

by Busy Girl Health

Pistachio-Mustard Chicken and Saffron Courgette! If you are like me, you probably have pistachios and saffron in your pantry. They might have been sitting there for a while, begging to be used. While they are delicious ingredients, they might be a little intimidating to use. But fear not! This easy recipe takes less than an hour to prepare and cook. Everything goes into the oven and gets cooked at the same time. It looks and tastes impressive — it can double as something to make for dinner parties too.

This is my new go-to weeknight recipe. The vegetables are in season here in France and the rest of the ingredients are already kicking around the kitchen. The flavours work reaaallllly well together. And the chicken is perfectly crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. It is a crowd-pleaser.

For the Courgette

INGREDIENTS

2 large courgettes or 3 medium sized

1 large leek

A pinch of saffron (~ 1/4 tsp)

A cube of low sodium chicken bouillon

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp butter

@ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Pre-heat oven to 200C.
  2. Chop courgettes in quarters. Chop into 1 cm triangles. Chop leeks into 1 cm half moons. Add to an oven-proof casserole dish.
  3. Drizzle with olive oil. Break up chicken bouillon cube and sprinkle on top with saffron and salt. Mix together. Add butter and water (these will form a nice sauce).
  4. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 45 minutes.

For the Chicken

INGREDIENTS

6 chicken thighs (skin on and bone in) or 6 chicken breast quarters (skin on and bone in)

6 pieces of smoked bacon, uncooked. Or replace with a few Tbsp butter

A few Tbsp strong Dijon mustard

1/2 cup crushed pistachios

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp herbes de Provence

Salt & Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Clean and dry chicken. Place on a baking sheet.
  2. Create a space between skin and meat. Place the bacon (or butter) between (this will not only add flavour to the meat, but it will keep it moist as the skin becomes crispy).
  3. Brush skin with a generous amount of Dijon mustard.
  4. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl. Sprinkle generously on top of chicken, covering the skin completely.
  5. Bake for 35 minutes (at the same time as the vegetables — I put this in about 10 minutes after so they finish at the same time).

Serving Tips

Serve with Basmati rice to absorb the luscious saffron sauce. To look restaurant-worthy, use a cookie cutter to layer rice and the vegetables on top. Garnish with fresh but mild herbs like cilantro or dill for wow-factor. If you don’t have leeks, you can use finely sliced yellow onion too. Everything reheats well and makes great leftovers! Enjoy your Pistachio-Mustard Chicken and Saffron Courgette!