Grilled Chicken with Pesto & Ricotta Stuffing

There are three things I like about this chicken:

Pesto
Ricotta
Italian taste

That is why when I saw this recipe over at Haalo's Cook Almost Anything blog I knew I just had to try it out. Haalo is my Flickr buddy and I have been getting a few great tips from her for my foodography pictures.

The fact that it is so easy to make was another big reason I decided to cook this up for my men today!

---

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
250g ricotta
2 generous tablespoons Pesto
100g parmesan - grated
salt & pepper
good extra-virgin olive oil

---

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 200°C.

Mix ricotta, pesto and parmesan together until smooth.

Wash chicken under cool running water and pat dry. Pull the skin from the chicken back, making sure it does not completely fall off. Using your fingers (it really is the best way - trust me) stuff the filling in between the skin and meat. Pull the skin back over the chicken and stuffing.

I held the chicken together with a few skewers to stop it from falling apart in the oven. Pour the olive oil over the chicken and rub it into the skin. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.

Place in the oven for about 1 1/4 - 11/2 hours, depending on the size of chicken.

When nice and golden take out.

I served this with potatoes and green beans. I also placed the potatoes in the oven along with the chicken. Sprinkled them with olive oil and a fresh thyme. The green beans were quickly steamed (2 minutes) then tossed in a pan with some warm olive oil for another couple of minutes.

---

Verdict: The picture says it all :-)! The chicken was tender and juicy. The combination of the ricotta, pesto and parmesan was amazingly delectable. Soeren ate a whole breast (which is a lot for a 3 1/2 year old!). He also loved the potatoes. Tom commented on the great intensive taste of the pesto which complimented the chicken.
Thumbs up all round for this one Haalo!