Chicken with Goats Cheese & Chutney

I confess we eat a lot of chicken in this house and if you have been reading my blog for any appreciable of time that won't be news to you.  Sorry about that.  It's affordable protein, adaptable to lots of flavours and techniques and we like it.  It was a lot more expensive when I was a child.  I don't think we had it very often then.  It was a real treat and usually came in the form of a roast chicken . . .



Occasionally my mother would buy chicken breasts.  She would coat them in cracker crumbs and fry them in butter.   Those were a real treat.  She called it Maryland Fried Chicken.  Whatever the name we loved them!

 

Chicken breasts are very lean and so have a tendency to dry out if you cook them overly long.   A good way to get around that is to stuff them with something tasty.  It's not that hard to do.  Just use a sharp knife and cut a pocket into the thick side of the breast.  You will want to leave it attached on three sides . . .  you only want a pocket.



Once you've done that you are ready to stuff them with just about anything.   Today I used a Mediterranean tomato chutney and some goats cheese, and it was absolutely delicious!  But you could really use any combination . . .  balsamic red onion chutney with cheddar would be a fab combination . . .  cream cheese and cranberry chutney . . . tomato sweet chili chutney and jack cheese . . .  really it's quite adaptable and there is not much that wouldn't work.



I sprinkled them with panko and dotted them with butter, but you could also wrap them in bacon or pancetta if you wanted to.   Once baked they were delicious and went down a real treat.   I have given quantities for four servings, but you can very easily adapt that to less, or even more. Simple.  Easy.  Delicious!  Enjoy!

*Chicken with Goat's Cheese and Chutney*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe 

Delicious moist chicken breasts with a flavourfilled goat's cheese and chutney stuffing and buttery crumb coating. 

4 single boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

125g log of soft goats cheese (4 1/2 ounces)

4 heaped dessert spoons of your favourite chutney (I used mediterranean)

4 heaped dessert spoons of panko bread crumbs

butter to dot

chopped parsley (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Have ready a baking dish large enough to hold all chicken pieces.


 

Cut a pocket into the outside edge of each chicken breast, without cutting through all the way to the back edge and leaving attached at both ends.   Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper.  Cut the goats cheese into 12 coins and slip three into each pocket.  Top with a dessertspoon of chutney.



Place into the baking dish.  Srinkle a dessert spoon of panko over the top of each.  Dot with butter.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the juices run clear.   Sprinkle with chopped parsley if using and then serve.  Rice and a vegetable go nicely with this.



This is really really good stuff!  You are only limited by your imagination!