Stuffed Chicken with Roasted Asparagus

Dinner with friends on a Tuesday night really breaks up the week and gives me something to look forward to! A big thanks to Kerryann for helping out with the stuffed chicken. She spotted this recipe in her South Beach Diet cook book, and we decided to give it a whirl. I recommend using extra large chicken breasts so you can make a nice, big pocket to stuff!

Spinach & Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

olive oil

4 large chicken breasts

1/2 lb fresh spinach

2 cloves of garlic

4oz goat cheese

salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a couple teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat and add chopped garlic. Saute for about 30 seconds and then start adding spinach. Cook until all spinach is wilted and then move to a plate. Next, cut each chicken breast almost in half (create a pocket), salt and pepper the inside, stuff with 1/4 of the spinach, 1oz of goat cheese and close. Use toothpicks to hold together if needed. Heat the skillet back to medium heat and brown chicken on both sides. Transfer chicken to a cookie sheet or just move skillet to preheated oven. Bake for about 10 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. 

To roast asparagus:

Cut tough ends off of fresh asparagus, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Lay the asparagus in a single layer on cookie sheet and cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until just starting to brown.

Sesame Chicken

This blog, among other factors, is really taking a toll on my waistline! I've decided to lighten things up a bit and try some healthier recipes. This recipe for Sesame Chicken is adapted from Martha Stewart's website (oh Martha, my hero). I found it while searching for "light chicken ideas". While it is indeed healthy, its quite filling and one of my favorite recipes yet! 

Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup rice

3 TBS honey

2 TBS sesame seeds

2 TBS gluten free soy sauce

1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed

2 large egg whites

1/4 cup cornstarch 

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into chunks

salt & pepper

2 TBS olive oil

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1 1/2 lbs broccoli, steamed 

Directions:

Cook rice according to directions. Meanwhile, make sauce: In a small bowl, combine honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites and cornstarch. Add chicken, season with salt & pepper and toss to coat. In a large non stick skillet, heat 1 TBS oil over med-high heat. Add half the chicken. Cook, turning occasionally until opaque throughout. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken. Return all chicken to skillet, add reserved sauce and scallions, and toss to coat. Serve sesame chicken with broccoli and rice.