Chicken with Pistachio Cilantro Pesto

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Toast nuts on baking sheet until golden, about 7 minutes. Keep the oven on. Transfer nuts to your food processor. Add cilantro leaves, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, garlic, cardamom, and 3/4 teaspoon salt to the processor with the nuts. Using on/off pulses, process until a coarse paste forms. With machine running, gradually add 1/2 cup olive oil. Season with pepper.

Using your fingers, gently loosen skin from 1 side of each chicken breast, forming a pocket. Spread 1 tablespoon of pesto evenly under skin of each. Then rub the pesto all over the tops of all the chicken. Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down. Cook until skin is dark golden, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken over and transfer skillet to oven. Roast chicken until cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Remove chicken from oven and drizzle the juice of half of a lemon over all chicken. Serve!