Chive Oil

One of the best things about eating out at a restaurant are the little ‘extras’ that take a meal from something good to something great. I am always delighted by a beautifully styled dish, and especially if that styling isn’t just for show, but adds a depth of flavor. Chive oil is one of the extra little splashes of color that you’ll find artistically dragged across a plate or dotted on top of a soup or dip that fits that bill. It is easy to make, and it also makes an impact!

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When it comes to sourcing chives for an oil like this, the fresher the better. Chives from your garden or the farmers’ market are best. However, if you’re planning on grabbing some at a more typical grocery store to make chive oil, try to find chives that are still quite thin and green all the way to the tips of each chive blade. Because we will use the entirety of the chive these new, tender shoots work best because the blender will be able to extract more flavor with less ‘roughage’ being left behind as we strain. Have extra chives? Check out my Feta and Chive Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe!

Chive Oil Ingredients

Chive Oil Method

Wash and pat dry the chives. If your chives are particularly long (think longer than about 6 inches) chop the chives in half so they won’t get caught in the blender later.

I quickly blanch the chives before blending for the best result. So, bring a saucepan of water up to a boil and nearby prep an ice bath for plunging.

Working in small batches (you want to easily be able to grab the whole bunch from the boiling water) blanch the chives for ten seconds in boiling water then immediately plunge into the ice bath to stop the cooking.

Once all chives have been blanched, drain the water and let the chives drip until almost all of the water is gone (you can pat dry with a clean kitchen towel to help this process along) then place in a high-speed blender (I use a Vitamix).

Add in half of the oil and blend on high for about a minute, then add in salt, and slowly drizzle in the second half of the oil. Blend again until very smooth, about 5 minutes total.

If you are on a time crunch, you can skip this ‘waiting’ step, but it definitely takes the flavor up a notch! Either transfer the blended chives to a bowl or leave in the blender (I just leave them in!) and pop in the fridge to ‘steep’ for about eight hours or overnight.

Once your oil has steeped, place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and strain the oil. Any small bits of chives will be strained out and you’ll have a smooth, bright green chive oil! Transfer to an airtight container (many chefs choose a squeeze bottle for plating) and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Note: Chive oil is best if you bring the bottle up to room temperature before using! So just pull the bottle out 30 minutes to an hour before using!

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