Pistachio Chicken with Figs and Lemon
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 6 to 8 pieces bone-in dark meat chicken (I love thighs and drumsticks for this, or leg quarters)
- Olive oil, for cooking
- Salt and pepper
- 2 large carrots, chopped into 1/4 – 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 onion, chopped into 1/4 – 1/2 inch pieces/petals
- 2 celery stalks, chopped into 1/4 – 1/2 inch pieces
- 3/4 to 1 cup pitted green olives (to taste)
- 10 dried figs, halved lengthwise
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup + 1/3 cup roasted shelled pistachios
- The zest and juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the middle position.
- Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. Add about 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Working in batches as needed, brown the chicken on both sides (takes about 3 to 4 minutes per side). Transfer to a tray/plate for now.
- Reduce the heat to medium and (leaving the drippings in the pan) add the carrots, ¾ of the chopped onion, the celery, all but about 5 olives, 6 of the figs to the pan (you can use as much of each thing as you like, this is just a guideline), and the oregano. Cook for 5 minutes to soften. Transfer these veggies to a large baking dish and arrange the chicken pieces over top.
- In in the bowl of a food processor, add 1 cup pistachios, the remaining figs, the remaining ¼ onion, 2/3 of the minced garlic, 5 olives, and the juice of ½ the lemon (TIP: zest it. before cutting it – it’s easier). Process until it’s like a chunky pistachio butter – mostly smooth-ish. Add about 1/3 cup water and process until incorporated. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Slather this pistachio paste all over the chicken (it’s sort of ugly, I’ll admit – but it’s DELICIOUS). Loosely cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the chicken is done, about 15 to 20 minutes more (cook time will vary a bit depending on your cuts).
- Meanwhile, chop the remaining 1/3 cup pistachios. Combine them with the zest of 1 lemon, the remaining minced garlic, and the parsley (this can totally be increased if you want to make more – that’s not a bad idea)
- When the chicken is out of the oven, sprinkle the pistachio gremolata topping all over top and add extra parsley and slices of fresh lemon if you like.
Find it online: https://mykitchenlittle.com/2025/01/27/pistachio-chicken/