Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Basil

The South Arm Cooking Club for seniors had a celebratory meal on the last cooking session of 2009. As usual, the seniors made 4 dishes in the kitchen. For this kitchen, there are two desserts which I enjoyed most.

Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-13-600x400

The main dish is a chicken dish called Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Basil.  This chicken dish is fit for a party.

Ingredients

  • 4 boneless chicken breast halves, skinned
  • 1/2 cup fresh goat cheese, about 100 grams
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 3 basil leaves, shredded or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled
  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Sun-Dried Tomato and Mushroom Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 6 sun-dried tomatoes
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
  • Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-1-600x400

The Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Basil is adapted from Bon Appetit and it serves 4. Marcel, Helmut and Ken worked on this recipe.

Instructions

Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-3-300x200sauce preparation: before doing anything else, place broth and sun-dried tomatoes in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 3 minutes, or until boiling. Let sit for 30 minutes for tomatoes to soften.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-2-300x200Pound chicken between sheets of waxed paper to thickness of 1/4 inch using meat mallet.  Pat chicken dry.
Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-4-300x200Combine cheese, green onions, and basil in a small bowl.
Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-5-300x200Spread cheese mixture lengthwise over top half of each chicken piece.
Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-6-300x200Tuck short ends in. Roll chicken up, starting at cheese-covered side, into tight cylinders. Secure with toothpicks if necessary.
Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-8-300x200Place chicken in 8-inch square baking dish.

Drizzle with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake until cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes.

Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-7-300x200Remove sun-dried tomatoes from broth and chop. Reserve broth.
Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-9-300x200Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, and garlic and saute until tender, about 8 minutes.
Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-10-300x200Sprinkle flour over, and cook for 1 minute.
Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-11-300x200Add broth and boil until thickened, about 4 minutes.
Stuffed-Chicken-Breasts-12-300x200To serve, remove toothpicks from chicken if using. Cut rolls crosswise unto 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Arrange on serving platter.

Serve immediately, passing sauce in a sauce bowl.

Marcel, Helmut, Ken and Stella, thank you for making this dish.

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