Recipes and Cooking Pesto Chicken and Radicchio Skewers Chicken marinates in a citrus-basil pesto before sharing stick space with purple radicchio. By Danielle Centoni Danielle Centoni Instagram Twitter Website Danielle is a food writer and recipe developer with more than two decades of experience as a food journalist writing about cooking, baking, and grilling, as well as cocktails, wine, and beer. She also has extensive experience conducting product reviews and taste tests. In addition to feature writing and recipe development for publications, she has written six cookbooks and contributed extensive editorial work to six others. Previously, Danielle was the food editor of The Oakland Tribune, food editor and writer at The Oregonian, senior editor at Imbibe Magazine and MIX Magazine, and editor of Eater Portland. As a freelance writer, her articles, recipes, taste tests, and comprehensive equipment reviews appear in a range of national publications including Better Homes & Gardens, EatingWell, Conde Nast Traveler, The Kitchn, Spruce Eats, and Serious Eats, among many others. Danielle earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Smith College. She has also taken the WSET Intermediate Course in wine and spirits, passing with distinction. She has received the James Beard Journalism Award and is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the James Beard Foundation, and Les Dames d'Escoffier. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on June 18, 2022 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Carson Downing Hands On Time: 25 mins Total Time: 4 hrs 25 mins Servings: 4 Yield: 8 skewers, 3/4 cup sauce Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 1 ½ pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs ¼ cup pesto ¼ cup fresh lemon juice 1 small, round head radicchio Fresh basil (optional) Parmesan Cream Sauce Directions Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Set a resealable plastic bag in a shallow dish. In the bag, combine pesto, lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. olive oil, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and black pepper. Add chicken, seal, and turn to coat; refrigerate 4 to 8 hours. Cut radicchio into 8 wedges, then cut each wedge crosswise in half so each piece is about 1 1/2 to 2 inches across and 3/4 inch thick. If using wood skewers, soak them in water at least 30 minutes before grilling. Thread two pieces of radicchio on each of eight 10- to 12-inch skewers. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving marinade. Add marinated chicken pieces to the skewers. Preheat an outdoor grill to medium (350°F to 400°F); brush cooking grates clean and lightly oil. (Or set a grill pan over medium-high and brush with oil.) Grill 8 to 10 minutes, occasionally brushing with reserved marinade before turning skewers over halfway through, until chicken is fully cooked (165°F) and radicchio is charred. If you like, top with fresh basil. Serve with Parmesan Cream Sauce for dipping. Parmesan Cream Sauce In a small saucepan bring 1 cup heavy cream and 2 smashed garlic cloves to a boil over medium. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened and reduced to 3/4 cup, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat; remove garlic and discard. Add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1/4 tsp. black pepper, stirring until cheese is fully melted. If the sauce cools and firms before serving, gently rewarm over low heat. Makes 3/4 cup sauce.Nutrition analysis per serving: 246 calories, 5 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 24 g total fat (15 g sat. fat), 76 mg cholesterol, 0 g fiber, 2 g total sugar, 20% Vitamin A, 0% Vitamin C, 197 mg sodium, 10% calcium, 1% iron Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 598 Calories 48g Fat 7g Carbs 34g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Calories 598 % Daily Value * Total Fat 48g 62% Saturated Fat 20g 100% Cholesterol 164mg 55% Sodium 859mg 37% Total Carbohydrate 7g 3% Total Sugars 2g Protein 34g Vitamin C 9.1mg 46% Calcium 174mg 13% Iron 1.5mg 8% Potassium 444mg 9% Fatty acids, total trans 1g Folate, total 30.7mcg Vitamin B-12 0.5mcg Vitamin B-6 0.6mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.