Recipe: Goat Cheese and Basil Stuffed Chicken

Do you have a friend with the same taste buds as you? One of my best friends and I pretty much have the exact same food favorites. This past weekend we were in Tahoe and she cooked one of her dinner staples - baked chicken stuffed with basil and herbed goat cheese served with a cranraisins, feta, red onions salad with balsamic vinaigrette. It was delicious, relatively easy and a great go to for a chicken dish when you don't have a grill.

Servings: 5

Ingredients

5 chicken breasts

2 ounces goat cheese

10 basil leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Wash and pat dry basil leaves and cut goat cheese into quarter of an inch slices. Cut a pocket into the top of the chicken breast and stuff with goat cheese and two basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake the breasts for 40 minutes or until cooked thoroughly until pink is no longer showing. 

Serve ith side salad: cranraisin, feta, onion salad with balsamic vinaigrette:

Servings: 5

Ingredients: 

1.5 boxes mixed greens

1/2 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped red onions

1/2 cup craisins

Dressing

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp dijon mustard

salt and pepper

Mix greens, feta, red onions, craisins (and walnuts if wanted) into a big bowl, set aside. In a smaller dish, mix dijon mustard and olive oil. Ration the olive oil so it allows you to mix the oil and mustard together without the oil separating. Add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk. Pour desired amount of dressing over lettuce, toss and serve.

Enjoy.