Herbed Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Dish up a company-worthy dish that calls for only four ingredients, plus salt and pepper. Choose roasted asparagus as a bright, fresh partner for this main dish.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and about 1 tablespoon pan juices)

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  (2 ounces) goat cheese
• 1/2  teaspoon  chopped fresh rosemary
• 2  ounces  Canadian bacon, finely chopped
• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff about 3 tablespoons cheese mixture into each pocket; close opening with a wooden pick. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper.

3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes. Turn chicken over; place pan in oven. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until chicken is done. Let stand 5 minutes. Discard wooden picks. Cut chicken diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve with pan juices.

Roasted asparagus: Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and 1 pound trimmed asparagus on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray; toss gently. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Place asparagus in a large bowl; toss with 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives. Complete the meal with a sliced baguette and a glass of crisp white wine.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

302

Fat:

13.5g (sat 5.1g,mono 4.8g,poly 2.2g)

Protein:

42.1g

Carbohydrate:

0.5g

Fiber:

0.0g

Cholesterol:

116mg

Iron:

1.7mg

Sodium:

486mg

Calcium:

40mg

Barbara Lauterbach, Cooking Light