I love trying out new recipes! If I wasn’t a teacher/missionary, I would totally consider going to culinary school- because I love to cook! This recipe comes from one of my first EVER pins on Pinterest- and I am very excited to share it with you! I’ve changed the recipe up a bit, and it is delicious! I’m calling this recipe Herb Goat Cheese and Asparagus Stuffed Chicken.
This recipe makes six servings- that’s what I chose. You can tailor it to your needs, and make as many servings as you need. Here’s what you’ll need to whip this chicken up:
* Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
* Goat Cheese
* Asparagus
* Fresh Herbs (I used chives and basil)
* Garlic
* Olive Oil
* Butter
* Chicken Stock or Broth (I used Better than Bullion to make mine)
* Salt and Pepper
* Toothpicks
Start by prepping the different parts to this recipe. It’s pretty simple, but is very important to get all the prepwork done so you don’t have to do it as you go! First, wash the asparagus and cut off the ends.
Then, put your goat cheese in a bowl. I get my goat cheese in a two-pack from Costco. I used about 3/4 of a package for six breasts. I like a lot of goat cheese, to act as a yummy creamy aspect of the meal. Chop up whatever fresh herbs you like- I chose basil and chives, as I had those on hand. I also minced up about four cloves of garlic and put those in the goat cheese, and I sprinkled in some fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt.
Now, mix away! This is one thing I changed about the recipe. They suggested using a pre-mixed garlic and herb goat cheese, but I made my own! I absolutely LOVE fresh herbs- especially in the summer! We have a little herb garden here; and I plan to take some herb seeds back with me to Tanzania to have some fresh herbs there too! If you can’t use fresh herbs, you can substitute dried herbs, but I strongly suggest getting your hands on some fresh goodness!
Once you have your goat cheese mixed up, clean your chicken breasts. Then, you can choose to do one of two things. First, you could use a mallet and pound the chicken down to about half the size, making it thin and wide. Or, you could do what I did and cut the chicken with your knife parallel to the counter, cutting almost all the way through, but stopping close to the edge, to keep it together. Then, open up the breast, so it looks like the picture.
Spread some of the cheese mixture on one half of the chicken, then place three to four sprigs of asparagus on the cheese.
Fold the chicken breast back over (sandwiching the cheese and asparagus between the chicken), and set with a toothpick or two. Sprinkle the side that’s up with a bit of salt and pepper. Do this to all of your chicken breasts!
Then, get ready to cook the chicken! I chose to use two large pans, so that I’d have enough space to flip the chicken over and that it would cook evenly. I would say that the maximum chicken breasts per pan would be four. If you’re cooking more than four, go ahead and use two pans.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in each pan. Add in about a teaspoon of minced garlic to each pan. Then, put the chicken in, salt and pepper side down. Sprinkle more salt and pepper on the top of each chicken breast and cook for about six minutes.
Then, prepare 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chicken broth per pan. I used a half-cup per pan so we’d have a bit more sauce, but you can use 1/4 if you’d like. After the chicken has cooked for 6 minutes, flip it to the other side, pour in the chicken broth, and cover the pan. Cook for another 6 minutes.
Once the cook time is up, remove the toothpicks and serve! I served my chicken with couscous and a salad, but you could do pasta, rice, or whatever you would like!
I think this recipe is easy enough for a simple dinner all year round, or you could add it to your menu for a dinner party! You could also change up the cheese and vegetable inside! Mozzarella cheese with broccoli; feta cheese with olives…be creative! Anything goes! This is an awesome recipe to have in your back pocket for when you need something easy and exciting for the main dish of a meal. If you try this recipe out (or any variation), leave a link in the comments or tag me on social media! You can also use the hashtag: #thegypsyteachercooks. I would love to see your creations!
What have you been cooking lately? Any new recipes I need to know about?! 🙂 Happy cooking!!
Much Love, Allie
