Reading · 40 Ingredients Forever

40 Ingredients Forever is devoted to recipes that are abundant in flavor and joy yet streamlined in process and shopping—because they’ll all be made using my 40 go-to ingredients.

For some, the first signs of spring are ramps, daffodils, or birds chirping. For me, it’s the avocados.

Primavera is a special family farm in California that grows avocados like you’ve never had them before. They taste like so much more than the supermarket options. They remind me of a bite of crunchy romaine salad followed by bread and butter: grassy, sweet, and rich.

Every year I look forward to developing recipes for Primavera in exchange for boxes of avocados in my mailbox. Their season just recently started and runs through end of June-ish, which leaves you just a few sweet months to weave avocados into every meal (and eat them right from their skin with a spoon).

Start with avocado salsa verde, where creamy avocado softens a bright and punchy chopped-herb sauce. This extra-lush take on salsa verde and can be used wherever you use green sauce: on simply seared chicken, like here, or over fish, roasted vegetables, or stirred through beans.

Serves 4

1 bunch scallions
½ bunch parsley
½ bunch cilantro
Salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lemon
1 large ripe avocado
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1. Make the avocado salsa verde: Thinly slice 1 bunch scallions. Push to one side of your cutting board, then thinly slice ½ bunch cilantro and ½ bunch parsley. Add the scallions to the pile of herbs along with a pinch of salt. Chop and smash until everything is coarsely chopped and juicy. Transfer to a medium bowl, along with ½ cup oil, the juice from 1 lemon, and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Cut 1 avocado into chunks and add to the bowl, then stir gently to combine (the lemon will keep the avocado from browning.

2. Meanwhile, sear the chicken: Sear 1 ½ pounds chicken all over with salt, then coat in 1 tablespoon oil. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. When just smoking, add the chicken flat side down and cook, pressing down occasionally with tongs, until golden-brown and opaque halfway up the sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and cook until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve the chicken topped with the salsa verde.