‘Oooh, this is the best thing you’ve ever cooked!’ said the housemate after her first bite. These delicious stuffed chicken breasts are so easy to make, rather impressive looking but most importantly, delicious!
You’ll need: (serves 4)
100g raw butternut, cubed (I confess, I bought a packet from Woolies!)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed (use a mortar and pestle or the side of a wine bottle)
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed (as above)
1 tsp honey
tsp ground cinnamon
tsp ground nutmeg
2 sprigs of thyme
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 chicken breasts, brined, then flattened with a meat mallet – careful not to tear them.
1 round of feta cheese
Toothpicks to secure
Olive oil and butter for frying
Here’s how:
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Toss your butternut into a baking dish with 2 tbsp olive oil, the black pepper, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. Make sure that all the butternut is evenly coated, add the sprigs of thyme and pop it into the oven.
In another baking dish, coat your onions in the remaining olive oil plus the balsamic vinegar and put it into the oven with the butternut. Let them both roast for about 30 minutes, checking and moving the contents around often. When the butternut is soft, remove both dishes from the oven, take out the thyme sticks and mash up the butternut with a fork.
Lay your flattened chicken breasts out on a chopping board. On the round ends, (about a centimeter away from the edge) put a dollop of butternut and flatten it out. Layer onions on top and then crumble over your feta. Pull the tapered end of the chicken breast over your stuffing and secure with a toothpick. You’ll need to vary the amount of stuffing you use according to the size of your chicken breasts and how full you like them. I love mine oozing out the sides but some find it too hard to work with.
Heat some olive oil and butter in a frying pan then add your chicken. Be careful not to let them fall apart! You want to sear all the sides of the chicken until they turn opaque and get a bit of colour.
Remove them from the pan, put them onto a baking tray and into the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes. You want the chicken to be cooked through but not overdone so watch it closely.
Remove from the oven when done and serve with chunky mashed potatoes and a fresh green salad.
Enjoy!
Yours in food
Leigh
