How does Chicken breast stuffed with goat's cheese and pesto, salad, and garlic and herb smashed potatoes sound? Good right? And so, so easy. This is just one of the things I whipped up in less than 30 minutes last week. I don't know about you but chicken breast, salad and potatoes are really mundane ingredients that one can get very sick and tired of. My resolution is to add lots of flavour without too much fat to spruce up those normally boring ingredients.
Ingredients:
Boneless chicken breast-skin on
Prepared Pesto
Goats Cheese
Yukon gold nugget potatoes
Chicken Stock
Olive oil
Red Wine vinegar
Herb and garlic cream cheese
Mixed Greens
Purple Cabbage
Tips before you begin:
1. If you like more of a wilted coleslaw effect, slice the cabbage and add to a bowl as soon as you put the potatoes on, so that while everything is cooking the water can be extracted from the cabbage
2. I cannot stress enough how important it is to taste as you go. I am not a big "measurer" but I like to add the approximate amounts to guide you. If your food is off balanced add more of whatever you need. After a while you`ll be a pro at seasoning and measurements will hardly matter unless you are baking.
3.See my "Master Sauces" post to see the recipe for pesto.
Directions:
Smashed Potatoes
1.Add the nugget potatoes in a pot with cold water to cover, and bring to a boil
2.Once fork tender, drain the potatoes and begin smashing with a fork
3.Add about 1tbsp. of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste
4.Add 1 cup of chicken stock
5.Add about 2 tbsps. of cream cheese per 2 pounds of potatoes
6.TASTE AS YOU GO and adjust the ingredients as necessary
Chicken Breast:
1.Drizzle each breast with a little olive oil on both sides,sprinkle with salt and pepper
2.Mix together about 2 tbsps of prepared pesto with 2 tbsps of soft goat`s cheese (this should be enough for 4 chicken breasts
3. Carefully lift the skin and add the pesto mixture under the skin, spreading as eavenly as possible
4.Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the skin is golden brown
Salad:
1.Slice very thinly 1/4 of a small purple cabbage
2.Sprinkle about 1 tsp. of kosher salt and toss to allow it to soften a little
3.Add 2/3 cups of mixed greens
4.Add in 2tbsps. of olive oil and 1 tbsp. of red wine vinegar
5.Add some grape tomatoes or any other veggies you like
5.Again taste as you go to adjust the balance of saltiness, "tangyness" etc. you may need to add more of each ingredient
Benefits
You can use a little help from the store with buying the cream cheese, prepared low sodium chicken stock, and even pesto (however I prefer homemade ; ). By including some beautiful pupple cabbage in your salad you can increase the fiber intake of this meal and add a healthy crunch; not to mention cabbage is so inexpensive and versatile. Alternatives are important to a diverse cooking repetoire, so by swapping out the chicken for a pork loin chop, or yukon gold potatoes for red ones, or red wine vinegar for balsamic etc etc you can see how making simple meals never has to be boring and quick meals dont have to be fattening.
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