Goat Cheese and Sun-dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken
Confession; I watch a lot of Netflix. Since moving to Seattle, I have not been working during the day, and other than bothering the cats there's not much to do in our small apartment except binge watch full seasons of my favorite shows on Netflix. I'm currently in the fifth season of Dexter (no spoilers please!) but I'm hooked on all my favorite Food Network shows. Particularly Cutthroat Kitchen. What an entertaining show! The contestants have to cook a specific dish but have the option to purchase sabotages to pass along to a competitor. Anything from not being able to taste their food to having to build a campfire to use as the sole cooking heat can be a sabotage. Bonus, it's hosted by Alton Brown, one of my favorite Food Network personalities.
This stuffed chicken was inspired by an episode where the contestants had to cook the perfect chicken cordon bleu. I don't cook or eat chicken cordon bleu very often, it seems heavy but also a bit dated. But seeing it on the show really made me crave it! Thankfully, I didn't have to use blue cookies or spam like the sabotaged contestants!
Definitely not a chicken cordon bleu, this is still a stuffed chicken that is breaded before being cooked. Baked instead of fried, and served with a tomato sauce instead of a cream sauce, this is a much healthier choice than chicken stuffed with cheese and ham.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a small dish, combine 1/4 cup or 2 ounces of softened goat cheese with two tablespoons of finely diced sun-dried tomatoes. Add 1 teaspoon of dried basil, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder. Mix together well and set aside.
Butterfly and pound two chicken breasts thin between plastic wrap. Side note, I finally bought a meat mallet. Anytime I need to pound meat thin, I grab an empty wine bottle. As long as the meat is sandwiched between plastic wrap and I'm careful, it works just great. However there is always the risk of a broken bottle and cut fingers, so a meat mallet is a smarter choice.
Spread half of the goat cheese mixture on each of the chicken breasts. Roll tightly and secure with kitchen twine or toothpicks. In a small dish, whisk one egg. In another small dish, combine 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon of dried basil, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, and salt and pepper.
Dredge chicken in 2 tablespoons of flour, shaking off excess flour. Coat each chicken breast with egg, then coat with seasoned bread crumbs. Place chicken seam side down in a glass baking dish. Bake chicken for 30 minutes or until cooked through and breading starts to brown.
While chicken is baking, prepare tomato sauce. This is a really easy recipe. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Add two cloves of minced garlic and sauté until just starting to brown. Add a 15 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. This is the secret ingredient for this sauce. I always have several cans of these tomatoes in my pantry. They add so much flavor and depth that a simple diced tomato just doesn't. Add a teaspoon of dried basil, salt and pepper and cook over medium low heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Rest cooked chicken at least 5 minutes before removing kitchen twine and slicing. Serve over the tomato sauce with your favorite green vegetable for a complete meal.
With any luck, when you cook this dish you'll have all of your kitchen tools in hand, no sabotages! After watching all available episodes of Cutthroat Kitchen on Netflix I'm convinced that there are no excuses for not having the right gadget for the job. So maybe you don't have a meat mallet, grab a heavy kitchen item, a small pan would do, and improvise!
Recipe
Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken
By Land of Noms, December 13, 2014
Baked instead of fried, a healthier stuffed chicken recipe with tangy goat cheese.
chicken, goat cheese, sun-dried tomato
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup (2 oz) softened goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons finely diced sun-dried tomatoes (about 4 medium)
- 3 teaspoons of dried basil, divided
- 2 teaspoons of dried oregano, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 15 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
- pinch of salt and pepper
- kitchen twine
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a small dish, combine goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of dried basil, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, and garlic powder; mix well
- Butterfly and pound chicken breasts thin between plastic wrap using a meat mallet
- Spread 1/2 of goat cheese mixture on each chicken breast
- Roll each chicken breast tightly and secure with kitchen twine
- Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess
- In a small dish, whisk egg until yolk is well combined with white
- In a second small dish, mix together panko bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon of basil, 1 teaspoon of oregano, and salt and pepper
- Coat chicken evenly in egg and then in breadcrumbs; place seam side down in a glass baking dish
- Bake chicken 30 mintues or until breading is nicely browned
- While chicken is baking, heat olive oil in a large pan
- Add minced garlic and saute until starting to brown
- Add fire roasted diced tomatoes
- Season with remaining teaspoon of dried basil and salt and pepper
- Simmer over medium low heat until thickened
- Rest chicken 5 minutes before removing kitchen twine and slicing; serve over tomato sauce
Kitchen tools for this recipe:
Sharing our culinary adventures in Cascadia with simple, sustainable & satisfying eats. Bon Appétit!
