I don't recognize my kitchen anymore, and I think I have you to blame. Goat cheese has replaced velveeta, I've got a bottle of both regular and white balsamic vinegar next to the old stand-by white, and what's this? A jar of sun-dried tomatoes next to - can it be?..an actual live basil plant? Where is the Chef Boyardee and Kraft macaroni & cheese?
I was recently asked whether I was comfortable with change - well, duh - just take a look at my kitchen shelves & you'll see how I have adapted to the times. I've always believed that change, whether for the better or worse, is just an opportunity to explore new things, or to correct mistakes when things don't go quite as you expect them to. If we were all afraid of change, I think that no children would ever be born, man would not have stepped on the moon, and we would all still be living in caves and eating swanson tv dinners cooked over an open fire. So I say bring it on! I for one, am up to the challenge.
This is a nice dinner when you want something for just the two of you - it is an adaptation of a recipe from Cooking Light - but I'm afraid my version is not quite so light. You can make the shallot-cheese mixture and slit the chicken breasts ahead of time. Then, just stuffing and cooking the chicken and sauce can be done really quickly right before serving.
What I really like about this recipe is how the vinegar cuts the richness of the goat cheese. Covering the skillet as the chicken cooks really helps keep it nice & moist. I like to serve this with mashed potatoes - you really want something to soak up all of the good sauce!
So - hurray for trying new things! (But I still refuse to try an oyster.)
chicken with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes* chopped
1 tsp. + 2 Tblsp. olive oil, divided
2/3 c. chopped shallots, divided
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 Tblsp. balsamic vingar, divided
2 oz. crumbled goat cheese
2 Tblsp. chopped fresh basil
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
2 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3/4 c. less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tblsp. cornstarch
2 Tblsp. water
*You can use either the dry-packed or oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. If using the dry-packed, rehydrate them in a bowl of warm water for 30 minutes. If using oil-packed, blot off as much oil as you can.
Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 c. shallots, sugar and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon into a small bowl. Add 1 1/2 tsp. vinegar.
Combine chopped tomatoes, cooked shallot mixture, cheese, basil and 1/4 tsp. salt. Mix well.
If chicken breasts are uneven in thickness, pound with a mallet to a uniform thickness - but don't pound them too thinly. Cut a horizontal slit in each breast, forming a pocket. Stuff each breast with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Secure open side of breasts with toothpicks.
Heat 2 Tbslp. oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken. Cover and cook 7 minutes on each side, or until done. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm. Add broth, remaining shallots, 2 Tblsp. vinegar and thyme to pan drippings. Bring mixture to a boil, scraping all of those good bits from the bottom of the pan. Combine cornstarch with water, forming a slurry. Add this to the chicken broth and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute more, or until slightly thickened.
Serve sauce over chicken and a bed of mashed potatoes.
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