slow cooker macadamia chicken pesto

Does it seem like there is something different through every stage of pregnancy that keeps you from sleeping? I sometimes wonder how many years it will be until I have a decent night of sleep again. Sigh. Actually, don’t tell me, I don’t really want to know :). Anyway, after not being able to sleep this am and getting up super early, I spent the am scouring my favorite sites for the perfect black skinnys and high waisted maxi skirt, for post-pregnancy of course. It’s fun day dreaming about wearing regular clothes again one day!

I thought I should also do something productive with my morning, so I am going to share one of the recipes that I tested for my book this weekend!

We had our good friends over for dinner last night, and it’s always a great time with them, especially since Natalie of Honey, Ghee, & Me is food-obsessed like me! This was a great dish to make for a dinner party because I was able to make it earlier in the day, so I could enjoy chatting with our guests over appetizers, instead of rushing to get dinner made.

We were having so much fun with N & E, that we spaced taking photos of everything. The photo thing is so tough sometimes because you want to capture what you are doing, so you could remember it later and/or share it… but, you don’t want to disrupt the present. Now, I am kind of regretting not having photos to share with you of the delicious baby artichoke appetizer, and the various dressings for the yams. What is your take on the photo thing? Do you try to document everything or just go with the flow & enjoy the moment?

Here was our MENU for the evening:
appetizer: baby artichokes with 3 different dipping sauces (maybe if we are lucky the recipes will show up on Honey, Ghee, & Me soon)
side 1: baked yams with 3 different dressing options (1: butter w/ s&p, 2: coconut oil with nutmeg & cinnamon, 3: olive oil w/ garlic and fresh rosemary)
side 2: arugula salad with homemade meyer lemon vinaigrette – which turned out really good, but I forgot to measure out the ingredients to share 🙁
main course: macadamia chicken pesto
dessert: coconut milk ice-cream w/ fresh strawberries & dark chocolate (yeah, we went kind of big 🙂

Ingredients
2 lbs. boneless chicken (breast or thigh – whichever you prefer), skin removed
sea salt & pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (save for the end of cooking)

Pesto
1 cup flat leaf parsley
2 cups fresh basil
3-4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup macadamia nuts
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I used meyer lemons)
2 teaspoons fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Combine all pesto ingredients in food process until smooth.

Directions

1. Salt and pepper chicken on both sides & place in slow-cooker. Pour pesto over chicken.
2. Cook on low for 6 hours.
3. About 30 minutes before the end of cooking time, add your additional sea salt (the slow-cooker tends to make herbs and spices a little blander, so it helps to add some back in towards the end). If you are not going to be around towards the end of cooking time, you can do it when its done cooking.
4. This dish can be served immediately or the sauce can be thickened (which I prefer).
5. Optional: Put chicken aside and reduce the sauce in a skillet. Bring the sauce to a simmer, without boiling it and stir occasionally, until it is at desired consistency. Pour over chicken and serve!