Goat Cheese and Pesto Stuffed Chicken
Recipe from Laura’s friend, Rachel.
Rachel’s Comments: This is the perfect pesto recipe. Using it in stuffed chicken makes for a delicious weeknight meal. I often add sundried tomatoes to the chicken. Feel free to add extra fillings as you wish.
Hint: Use a cast iron pan to go straight from the stove top to the oven.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons creamy goat cheese
- 1 tablespoon Basil Pesto
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 1 egg white
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- Extra-virgin olive oil
Basil Pesto: - 2 tablespoon pine nuts
- 2 cups basil leaves (fresh)
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a nonstick baking pan with cooking spray.
- Prepare Pesto:
- Place pine nuts in a small skillet and set pan over medium heat. Cook until nuts are golden, shaking pan frequently to prevent burning, about 3 minutes. Transfer nuts to a plate to cool.
- In a blender or food processor, combine nuts, basil, cheese, oil, garlic and salt; process until smooth and thick. Yields about 1/4 cup per serving.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the pesto and goat cheese.
- Cut a horizontal slit along the long edge of a chicken breast half, almost through to the opposite side (but not all the way), creating a pocket. Repeat for each breast.
- Fill the pocket of each breast with ¼ of the goat cheese/pesto mixture. May need to use a toothpick to hold the sides together.
- Lightly beat egg white in medium bowl.
- Place breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.
- Dip each chicken breast in the egg white, then dredge in the breadcrumbs.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until browned on one side (about 2 minutes).
- Place the chicken, browned-side up, in the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until fully cooked (thermometer inserted into thickest part of the chicken should read 165 degrees F).
