This is one of my favorite recipes, just for the sheer joy of the flavor. It’s also my go-to recipe for when I have a lot of fresh basil I need to use up, and I’m not in the mood for pesto. The flavors in the chicken meld so wonderfully, you could almost do without the aioli. Almost. You’ll find a printer-friendly version of the recipe at the bottom of this page.
This basil is from my Aerogarden. Tonight’s dinner barely made a dent, there’s plenty left over! Have I mentioned how much I love my Aerogarden? Gorgeous basil like this, 12 months a year, right in my house. Heaven.
Ingredients:
Chicken:
⅔ cup (about 15 g leaves) chopped fresh basil
⅓ cup (about 35 g, or one bunch) chopped scallions
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
¾ teaspoon lemon pepper
¾ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 (6-oz./170 g) skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Basil Aioli:
⅓ cup (about 5 tablespoons, or 10 g) finely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1.) To prepare chicken, combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to basil mixture, turn to coat. I like to leave this to sit for a half hour or so, but it’s not strictly necessary.
2.) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Working in batches to prevent overcrowding, remove chicken from marinade and add to pan. Brown both sides, adding additional oil as needed.
3.) Add the remaining marinade, scraping up all the yummy browned bits from the bottom of the pan, cover, and cook until both chicken and marinade are cooked through (another 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken parts.)
4.) While chicken cooks, prepare aioli by combining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Set aside.
5.) Transfer chicken to serving dish or plates. Deglaze chicken pan with a little hot water or broth; pour over chicken. Serve aioli on the side.
Lemony Basil Chicken With Basil Aioli
Ingredients
Chicken:
⅔ cup (about 15 g leaves) chopped fresh basil
⅓ cup (about 35 g, or one bunch) chopped scallions
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
¾ teaspoon lemon pepper
¾ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 (6-oz./170 g) skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Basil Aioli:
⅓ cup (about 5 tablespoons, or 10 g) finely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
1.) To prepare chicken, combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to basil mixture, turn to coat. I like to leave this to sit for a half hour or so, but it’s not strictly necessary.
2.) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Working in batches to prevent overcrowding, remove chicken from marinade and add to pan. Brown both sides, adding additional oil as needed.
3.) Add the remaining marinade, scraping up all the yummy browned bits from the bottom of the pan, cover, and cook until both chicken and marinade are cooked through (another 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken parts.)
4.) While chicken cooks, prepare aioli by combining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Set aside.
5.) Transfer chicken to serving dish or plates. Deglaze chicken pan with a little hot water or broth; pour over chicken. Serve aioli on the side.
julienne.red 
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