Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Herbed Couscous Recipes

CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH HERBED COUSCOUS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil. Add couscous; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and remove from heat; let steam 5 minutes. Add mint, pine nuts, scallions, lemon zest and juice, and 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper, and fluff with a fork.
• Lay chicken flat on a work surface. With a paring knife, cut a 2-inch-long slit in the thick side of each breast. Insert knife, and pivot inside chicken without enlarging opening, carefully forming a deep pocket (make sure not to pierce the opposite side). Stuff each breast with an equal amount of couscous mixture, packing it tightly.
• In a large skillet, heat remaining tablespoon oil over medium. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place in skillet, and cook until browned on one side, 6 to 8 minutes. Carefully turn chicken over, and add 1/2 cup water to skillet (a little couscous may fall out). Cover, and cook until chicken is opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes more.

COUSCOUS STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST WITH FETA, SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND KALAMATA OLIVES

Steps:

• For the couscous: In saucepan over medium heat add olive oil, when hot, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and saute a few minutes more. Add olives and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the box of couscous, turn off heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, and season with salt and pepper. Spread 2 cups on large plate, add in 1/2 pound feta, and let cool. Keep the remaining hot to serve with chicken. (Put in covered casserole and reheat in oven last 10 minutes with chicken.)
• For the chicken: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Trim chicken with a boning knife, if needed. Start at top of breast and carefully make a lengthwise cut from top to bottom and making a pocket about 2 inches, making sure not to pierce the other side of the breast. When couscous is cool enough to handle, carefully spoon couscous mixture into pocket. Even out the stuffing by gently moving it around with your hands. Wipe off any excess couscous from outside of breasts and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil and butter in saute pan and brown off both sides of chicken. Place chicken on baking sheet and place in oven for 20 minutes.
• While chicken is baking, make the sauce.
• For the sauce: In saute pan that you cooked chicken breasts in, heat and add garlic. Deglaze with white wine and add lemon juice. Reduce by one third. Add in sun-dried tomatoes, let reduce for 2 to 3 minutes, add the olives, turn off heat, add the butter and stir to combine.
• To serve, place couscous from oven on plate, cut chicken breast in half, top with sauce, crumble remaining feta cheese over.

GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH HERB BUTTER

Steps:

• Prepare charcoal or gas grill; heat should be medium-high and rack about 6 inches from fire; keep part of grill cool for indirect cooking. In a small bowl, use a spoon or fork to combine butter and herbs, or use a mini food processor.
• With sharp-bladed knife, cut a 2- to 3-inch slit in deepest part of chicken. Fill with as much herb butter as possible; rub some under skin as well. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and brush with oil.
• When grill is ready, put chicken skin-side up on cool side of grill. After some fat has been rendered, turn chicken; if it flares up, move to an even cooler part of fire or turn so skin side is up again. When skin has lost its raw look and most of the fat has been rendered, after 20 minutes or so, move chicken directly over fire. Cook, turning now and then, until both sides are browned and flesh is firm and cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, with lemon wedges.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH HERBED STUFFING

Steps:

• In a small nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons butter. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until tender. Stir in bread crumbs, parsley, 1/8 teaspoon salt, marjoram and thyme. , Cut a pocket in the thickest part of each chicken breast. Fill with bread crumb mixture; secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle chicken with remaining salt. In a microwave, melt remaining butter; stir in lemon zest., Place chicken on greased grill rack. Grill over medium heat 6-9 minutes on each side or until chicken is no longer pink, brushing occasionally with butter mixture during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Discard toothpicks before serving.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH HERB STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425ºF.
• In a food processor or by hand, combine garlic, spinach, parsley, chives, tarragon, bread crumbs, orange zest, orange juice, mustard, salt, pepper and 2 tbsp olive oil. Reserve 1 tbsp oil to fry chicken.
• Insert a sharp knife into the thick end of each chicken breast and cut a lengthwise pocket 3/4 of the way across chicken breast.
• Lay breast flat open and spread with about 2 tbsps spinach mixture.
• Fold breast back together.
• Season breasts with salt and pepper. Reserve any leftover spinach mixture.
• Set ovenproof skillet on medium-high heat and add remaining oil.
• Add chicken, skin-side down and fry until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes.
• Flip breasts over and place skillet in oven.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until juices run clear.
• Remove chicken from skillet.
• Skim any fat and add orange juice, orange zest and vermouth.
• Bring to boil scraping up any sticky bits on the base of pan.
• Reduce until syrupy, about 1 minute.
• Add cream and bring to boil.
• Stir in reserved spinach mixture.
• Reduce until slightly thickened.
• Season to taste.
• Serve chicken and drizzle with sauce.

CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH CURRIED COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Place the couscous in a medium-size bowl and drizzle the olive oil over it to help keep the grains separate.
• Stir the couscous around until all the grains are coated with oil.
• Stir in the hot water.
• Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat.
• Add the onion and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, 2 minutes more.
• Be careful not to brown the curry powder or it will become bitter.
• Add the couscous to the skillet and mix well.
• Stir until the couscous is hot, about 2 minutes, then add the lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the Tabasco, pine nuts, and currants.
• Taste the couscous; it should be highly seasoned.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let it cool to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 400°.
• Rinse the chicken under cold running water, then pat dry with paper towels.
• Split each breast in half, making sure the skin is evenly divided between the two pieces.
• Starting from the wing socket, gently run your finger in between the skin and meat to make a pocket, being careful not to pull the skin away from around the edges.
• Using a spoon, stuff the couscous under the skin, filling each breast piece nicely with a mound of the mixture.
• Try not to pull the skin away from the meat as you do this—but if you do, just smooth the skin over the stuffing as best you can.
• It's hard to do this neatly, but when you're finished, wipe off any couscous sticking to the outside of the breast.
• Place the stuffed breasts on a baking sheet, dot them with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and sprinkle with salt.
• Roast until the skin is nicely browned and crisp and the chicken is done, about 30 minutes (the juices should run clear when a small cut is made in the thickest part of the breast).
• If the skin has browned well and the meat is still underdone, place a loose tent of aluminum foil over the chicken to prevent further browning and cook 5 minutes more before checking again.
• Serve immediately.