PRIMALOCITY

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Herbed Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken and Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon and Caramelized Red Onion Dressing

Once I find something I like I try different variations.  This is a variation of my recent recipe, Prosciutto and Sage Wrapped Chicken Thighs.  Instead of thighs, I used chicken breast, and then stuffed the breasts with herbed goat cheese and spinach.  The next time I make this I will include roasted red peppers in the stuffing but did not have any when I originally made this.  I love the idea of wrapping things in prosciutto, it provides a great salty addition to the meat and helps to keep the stuffing inside the meat, especially cheese that tends to melt and ooze out.  This dish is somewhat labor intensive, but well worth it.  I served it along with a Spinach Salad smothered in hot bacon and caramelized red onion dressing.  These combined together terrifically and made for a great fall meal.  These dishes, served perhaps with another side dish would make for a great dinner party meal.  I hope you try this and enjoy it as much as we did.!

Herbed Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken

You will need:

  • 4 Chicken Breasts
  • 12 thin slices of Prosciutto
  • 6 0z. herbed goat cheese
  • a couple of handfuls of baby spinach
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper to taste

To Prepare:

Preheat oven to 400º.  Pat dry the chicken breasts and butterfly  them by inserting a sharp knife about halfway through the chicken breast and cutting though the center of the breast.  I then used a meat tenderizer and lightly pounded the butterflied chicken breasts so that it was uniform in thickness. Salt and pepper both sides of the breast and then place 1/4 of the spinach leaves and 1/4 of the goat cheese on 1/2 of the breast.  Now fold over the other half.  Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.  Next, take 3 thin slices of prosciutto and place them along side each other on your work surface, overlapping them slightly.  Place one stuffed chicken breast at one end and carefully wrap the breast with the prosciutto slices.  Brush the entire wrapped breast with olive oil and place seam side down in a baking dish.  Repeat with remaining stuffed breasts and prosciutto.  Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of the breasts, and until just cooked through.

While the stuffed chicken is roasting, prepare the Spinach Salad.

Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon and Caramelized Red Onion Dressing

You will need:

  • 10-12 oz. fresh spinach or baby spinach
  • 1 red onion
  • 8 slices of nitrate free thick cut bacon
  • 4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
  • 6-8 white mushrooms, sliced thinly
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbls. honey (optional)
  • salt & pepper to taste

To Prepare the Spinach Salad:

Place the spinach in a large salad bowl along with the sliced hard boiled eggs and sliced mushrooms.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Place the bacon in a skillet and fry until done and the fat renders off.  While the bacon is frying, slice the red onion thinly.  Remove the cooked bacon and set aside. Add the thinly sliced onion to the hot bacon fat and cook the onions in the bacon fat until soft, about 5 minutes.  When the onions have softened and caramelized, add the balsamic vinegar and honey and simmer for about 5 minutes and remove from the heat.  Slice the cooked bacon and add to the spinach salad.  Pour the hot balsamic and onion mixture over the salad and toss to coat.  Divide the salad amongst 4 plates and serve with one Herbed Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast.

Enjoy!

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Thursday, October 21st, 2010 Recipes

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