Garlicky Green Summer Sauce

You're about to put this dream of a sauce on absolutely

everything.

And I mean everything.

Every time I grab it from the fridge, it finds its way onto something new—scrambled eggs, avocado toast, stirred into hummus, dolloped onto roasted veggies, and my latest obsession, as a pizza sauce.

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I know what you're thinking: that just looks like pesto.

True, it does. But the similarities end at the presence of garlic, basil, and olive oil. Pesto is rich with nuts and cheese, but this sauce is a different creature altogether. No nuts, no cheese—just a lush bouquet of summer herbs, blanched to preserve their vivid color and fresh flavor, suspended in just enough olive oil to keep everything beautifully emulsified. A hint of lime zest and juice brightens things up, nudging your taste buds in unexpected directions.

It also happens to be gluten, dairy, egg, and nut free. And not that I myself am concerned with such things, but as a private chef, I have had many clients that are. So when I have a client with dietary restrictions, this sauce has proven invaluable in accommodating their needs.

But what truly impresses me the most about this little green flavor machine, is its incredible versatility. Unlike pesto, whose flavor tends to eclipse whatever it's paired with, this sauce is a bright, herby flavor bomb that enhances without overpowering. It’s all at once new and different, yet familiar and comforting, and therefore in my eyes, lends itself to so many different things.

I can’t lie and say I meant it to be this way when I came up with the sauce.

Originally, I was commissioned by Rosie and Rocky Chicken to come up with a summer grilled chicken recipe using their boneless skinless chicken breast. I wanted a highly flavorful and tenderizing marinade, something that would transform the relatively bland chicken breast into something memorable. I knew an overnight marinade in yogurt was the answer as yogurt would tenderize the protein overnight, and also protect it from the drying, radiant heat of the grill.

During recipe testing, I decided to take a page out of the “Green Goddess” book and marry a medley of leafy summer herbs into a smooth, emulsified sauce, skipping the nuts and cheese in favor of a light touch of acid from lime and a bit of olive oil.

I blended everything together and before I stirred it into the yogurt I gave it a taste…. “Wowza” is pretty much all I said. I immediately knew this was something special all on it’s own, and Garlicky Green Summer Sauce was born.

Think of it as the little black dress of the kitchen: versatile, adaptable, and always a good choice.

Here are just a few ways you can use this magical sauce: