Basil Oil Roast Chicken with Feta & Sesame

Dinner party: basil oil roast chicken & ginger peach pie. A good son cooks his parents' 30th wedding anniversary dinner

9 ingredients•Prep: 30 mins•Cook: 45 mins

Ryan Nordheimer•

November 4, 2025

My parents got married in the tail-end of June. Those days when the allure of late spring all too quickly melts away into a sad puddle of humidity. On their wedding day in 1995 it was humid. And on their 30th wedding anniversary in 2025 it was just as humid. So let me ask you: why would I choose to step outside and spend one singular minute at a grill (inferno in cooking appliance form) singing my eyebrow and arm hairs off? I say no thank you.

Instead, I made the more reasonable choice to cook all of summer’s greatest abundance (peaches, tomatoes, basil, zucchini) within the confines of my parents’ (small) indoor kitchen.

The guests were a special bunch: my parents, my grandma who was visiting from Florida, my aunt, my uncle, and my cousin/social media marketing intern who does almost nothing but asks me for money ceaselessly.

To craft my menu, I was aiming for elegant yet fun, simple flavors yet not boring, summery yet…well, summery. And since I was cooking in my parents’ kitchen, I thought let’s bring back one of my viral recipes from when I used to live at home: my ginger peach pie. Now I can’t say for sure, but I think this pie is responsible for my Instagram account shooting up from around 25k followers to 120k followers within the span of a week back in 2022. And understandably so. A stunning, golden circular lattice with a perfect balance of sweet peach and spicy ginger. With some vanilla ice cream (my mom’s favorite), I thought it was a perfect dessert choice.

And for the entree, I was inspired by countless videos of herb oil I’d seen on my social media feeds. Beautifully verdant oil that tinges crudos with stunning hues that only fat can imbue. I thought why not drown a perfectly cooked roast chicken in a basil oil, enhanced with toasted garlic, sesame, and lemon juice. An elevated and somewhat restaurant-y version of a green sauce.

Other sides I served included: classic bruschetta, corn cobs I slathered with hot honey butter and garnished with crushed corn nuts, and a labneh-dressed little gem pea salad.

The buffet was set. The food delicious. And then the night turned a little sideways with some reasonable table side political discourse regarding migration, Mamdani’s primary election win, and Biden’s presidential legacy. Discussion turns to argument, you know the drill. Some family members stormed out of the house a bit early and missed out on the pie, but that’s what family occasions are all about, right? More slices for me.

For the love of family drama,

Ryan

Instructions

If your chicken (1 whole) isn’t spatch-cocked, you’re going to do it yourself. Place the chicken on a cutting board, backbone facing up. Using sharp/sturdy kitchen shears, cut along one side of the backbone all the way to the top of the chicken. Then cut along the other side of the backbone. Toss backbone or reserve for stock. Then flip chicken over and press it down like you’re giving it CPR until you here a *CRUNCH* (my favorite part).
Transfer chicken to a parchment-lined baking sheet with a wire rack set in it. Season chicken with plenty of salt, pepper (to taste), and whatever spices you’d like to use. Set in the fridge for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Get a small bowl of ice water ready, too. When boiling, drop basil (4 oz) leaves in for 10-15 seconds.
Then transfer to the ice bath. Once cold, squeeze out all water. Then add to a blender.
Add oil (1 cup) into the blender too and blend to combine the basil and oil, about 20 seconds. Pour oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup. Cover and set aside until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 425 °F (convection if you have it). Pat chickens dry with a paper towel. Then drizzle with olive oil (2 Tbsp).
Roast until the breast meat registers 155 °F, about 45 minutes convection / 1 hour standard.
Let rest for at least 15 minutes.
When just about to serve, heat basil oil over medium heat in a small pan with the garlic (4 cloves) and sesame seeds. Once everything starts to sizzle, crumble in the feta. Then squeeze in the lemon (1 lemon). Season with salt.
Carve up the chicken. You can easily cut the chicken in half between the breasts. Then remove the legs by angling your knife between the thigh and the beasts. Divide the breasts in halves or in thirds if you wish. Drizzle some of the basil sauce over the chicken on a platter, reserving the rest for table side.