Last week the stars aligned and I found my kitchen stocked with all the ingredients to make a killer stuffed chicken. The beauty of stuffed chicken is that it’s fairly easy to put together but looks impressive when sliced and plated. It’s a great option for dinner for two at home or entertaining (and relatively affordable). Also, it’s customizable based on what you have in your kitchen and what you like. Try out different filling combinations once you get comfortable with the method of preparing it.
Stuffed Chicken with Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes and Basil
(Recipe source Bakin’ and Eggs)
Printable Recipe: Stuffed Chicken with Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes and Basil
Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 ounces goat cheese
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
3-4 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons flour, separated
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sundried tomatoes in a bowl and pour about 1 cup of boiling water over them. Let stand for 10 minutes to rehydrate and soften.
In the meantime, clean and rinse chicken. Pat dry. Working one breast at a time, place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap (or in a gallon ziploc bag) and pound to about 1/4 inch thickness.
Place pounded chicken on a large cutting board. The chicken breasts should be the shape of a large oval (more or less). You’ll want to place the filling across the breast so it goes across the bottom half of the longest part of the oval. Place one ounce of goat cheese across each breast. Top with sundried tomatoes and basil. Roll chicken tightly (starting at the end with your filling) and secure with about 4-5 toothpicks. Like so…
Season with salt and pepper and dredge in 2 tablespoons of flour. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully place chicken in skillet and saute for about 5-6 minutes, turning frequently, until browned. Don’t worry if you lose a little bit of your filling (the cheese may ooze a little). You’ll have to work around the toothpicks but it’s doable.
Remove chicken from skillet and place in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Place dish in oven and bake for about 5-10 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
While chicken is in the oven, keep your skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in pan drippings from chicken and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Whisk to combine. Add wine and let simmer a minute or two. Add chicken broth and let simmer until thickened and reduced a little (about 3-5 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To plate, remove toothpicks and slice chicken into medallions. Arrange on a plate and drizzle with sauce.
Yield: 2 servings
bakin' and eggs 