Goat Cheese-Stuffed Chicken with Polenta and Autumn Vegetables
This one involves a little pre-prep, but it’s worth it.
Appetizer: Carrot-Ginger Soup
Dinner: Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Garlic and Herbed Goat Cheese, Buttery Polenta and Autumn Vegetables
This works best if you prep the chicken on a Sunday evening and refrigerate/freeze until you’re ready to bake it later in the week.
Ingredients list:
1 carton organic carrot-ginger soup
1 whole garlic head
1/3 cup (3 ounces) goat cheese with herbs, softened
6 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 (9-ounce) fennel bulb with stalks
2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
1 1/2 cups (1-inch-thick) slices parsnip
1 1/2 cups (1-inch-thick) slices carrot
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash freshly grated nutmeg
Cooking spray
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional)
5 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry instant polenta
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To prep the chicken: Preheat oven to 350°. Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap head in foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins. Combine garlic pulp and cheese, stirring well; set aside.
Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff about 4 teaspoons cheese mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle chicken evenly on both sides with salt and pepper.
If you’re going to bake the chicken the following day, leave it in the fridge overnight. If you’re not going to cook it until later in the week, pop it in the freezer.
Once you’re ready to cook dinner, heat one cup of Carrot-Ginger Soup per person and serve in mugs. Sip the soup to take the edge of your hunger as you peel and slice the Autumn Vegetables.
To make the vegetables: Preheat oven to 425°. Trim tough outer leaves from fennel. Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise; discard core. Cut each half into three wedges. Combine fennel, squash, and next 7 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a large shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle vegetable mixture with cheese, if desired.
Once you have the veggies in the oven, start on the chicken.
To make the chicken: Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn chicken over. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°; let stand 5 minutes.
Once the vegetables and chicken come out of the oven, make the polenta.
To make the polenta: Combine 5 cups water and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Gradually add polenta, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 2 minutes or until mixture is thick, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and pepper.
Nutrition Info (Serving includes 1 cup soup, 1 chicken breast half, 2/3 cup polenta and 3/4 cup vegetables):
CALORIES 593 (% from fat); FAT 16.4g; PROTEIN 45g; FIBER 9.1g; CARBOHYDRATE 65g
(The chicken, polenta and vegetable recipes are modified from recipes that appeared in the October 2007 issues of Cooking Light.)