Pesto- and Avocado-Stuffed Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 package of basil (about 3 to 4 cups)
• 1 whole chicken
• 1/2 an avocado
• 1/4 cup of shredded white sweet potato
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (or enough olive oil to brush over the entire chicken)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Blend the olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, basil and a pinch of salt in a food processor or blender. Ta da! You now have a very basic, homemade pesto.
3. Spread out the shredded white sweet potato on a baking sheet. Bake in the over for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until at least some are crispy.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the chicken: remove any gizzards and other internal business, rinse it under cold water, and pat dry with a paper towel. Place on the rack in your roasting pan.
5. Brush the entire chicken (top, bottom and sides, but not the inside) with olive oil.
6. Chop the half of avocado.
7. Gently mix the avocado, shredded sweet potato and pesto together in a medium bowl.
8. Using a big spoon, ladle or your hands to scoop the pesto mixture into the cavity of the chicken.
9. Sprinkle the chicken with a little salt and pepper–as much as you like. Also, tie the legs closed with cooking twine.
10. Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes per pound, until a meat thermometer reads 175 degrees when inserted into the breast of the chicken.

SERVING SUGGESTION: Make sure you scoop out some of the sweet and savory pesto mixture from inside the chicken.

TIP: If you like really crispy skin, crank up the heat at the beginning or the end for about 10 to 20 minutes.