Yesterday, I contributed to my very first ‘What I Ate Wednesday’ which is hosted by the wonderful Peas and Crayons.
My boyfriend and I bought a load of good quality chicken breasts recently and as I needed something quick and healthy for dinner last night, I decided chicken was the answer so I made my creamy garlic stuffed chicken which is not only delicious and low in fat, but also ridiculously simple and super quick! As I have had a couple of recipe requests, I thought it only right that I share this dish with you all!
Memoirs of an Amateur Cook’s Creamy Garlic Stuffed Chicken with Herby Diced Potatoes
Serves 2
For the chicken:
2 large skinless chicken breasts
75g light cream cheese
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp basil and parsley, finely chopped
4 smoked bacon rashers, all fat removed
Frylight
For the potatoes:
500g potatoes, diced into 1.5cm cubes
Half tbsp dried mixed herbs
Salt and pepper
For the sauce:
1 tbsp light cream cheese
25ml white wine
1 tbsp light fromage frais
Salt and pepper
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
2. Using a sharp knife, split open the chicken breasts to form a pocket.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the fresh basil and parsley, crushed garlic, cream cheese and seasoning.
4. Stuff the open chicken breasts with the cream cheese mixture then gently fold up so that none of the filing can be seen. Secure by wrapping the bacon around the chicken and if necessary, a few toothpicks.
5. Put both chicken breasts on a baking tray that has been sprayed with fry light and bake in the pre-heated oven for 45mins or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
6. Next, par boil the diced potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for 4 minutes.
7. Drain the potatoes and pour them on to a baking tray sprayed with fry light. Scatter over the dried mixed herbs and toss the potatoes so that they are evenly coated. Bake in the oven for 30 mins until golden.
8. 5 minutes before serving, put a tbsp of the cream cheese into a small milk pan along with the white wine and heat gently. Pour in any juices that have come from the cooked chicken and just before serving add the fromage frais and season.
9. To serve, slice the chicken breast on a slant and use to top a pile of the potatoes. Serve with fresh veg and drizzle over some sauce.
I used Philadelphia lightest for the stuffing and I found it worked really well despite being low fat. For the dried mixed herbs, I used Italian seasoning which comprises of rosemary, basil, oregano, thyme and garlic – I adore the stuff and use it in a lot of sauces for an extra bit of flavour. Obviously our chicken breasts were rather large so you may need to alter the cooking time for smaller breasts – I must admit I couldn’t quite finish my chicken it was so big!
Hope you enjoy this speedy dish just as much as I do! I know that stuffing chicken is quite a common thing to do and would be really interested to hear about other people’s variations? We have previously stuffed chicken breasts with pepperoni and cheddar which isn’t quite as healthy and I love wrapping chicken breasts in Parma ham for a more indulgent treat. I have also previously blogged my recipe for my sundried tomato chicken which is stuffed with a combination of sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts, basil and balsamic accompanied by a parmesan and white wine sauce with is truly divine although reserved only for special occasions due to the amount of cheese and cream involved!
So, what stuffed chicken recipes do you guys enjoy? I’d love to hear about your recipes!
