Chicken Stuffed With Goats Cheese Tarragon Recipes

CHICKEN WITH GOAT'S CHEESE & TARRAGON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Make a slit down the centre of each chicken breast with a sharp knife (taking care not to cut right through) then open up the slit with your fingers to make a pocket. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a large, lightly oiled ovenproof dish.
• Reserve 8 sprigs of tarragon, chop the rest of the leaves and beat into the cheese with plenty of ground black pepper. Spoon into the pockets in the chicken. Slice the tomatoes and place 2 slices over each cheese-filled pocket. Put a sprig of tarragon on top and drizzle with oil.
• Season and bake for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked, but still moist. If serving cold, pour off the juices otherwise they will set to a jelly once cold.
• Transport in the dish covered with cling film. You can prepare up to step 3 and serve cold, or cook when you get there.

CHICKEN STUFFED WITH GOAT'S CHEESE & TARRAGON

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Beat together the goat's cheese, lemon zest, chilli, tarragon and some seasoning. Cut a slit in the side of each chicken breast, ensuring that you don't pierce through the other side. Using your fingers, make a pocket and stuff the cheese mix inside. Season the chicken breasts, then wrap 2 slices of prosciutto around each, covering the pocket tightly.
• Put on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and cook for 18-20 mins until cooked through but still moist, and the juices run clear.

GOAT CHEESE AND HERB STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Using a paring knife, make an incision in the side of each chicken breast, passing the knife though horizontally to make a slit but not cutting through the other side of the breast. With the paring knife inserted, rotate the knife to carve out a bit more space and create a pocket. Season the outside and inside of the chicken with salt and pepper.
• Lightly beat the egg white in a bowl to break it up, then add the goat cheese, parsley, tarragon, shallots, mustard and lemon zest and mix until incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a resealable plastic bag (or piping bag). Snip off a corner of the plastic bag and pipe the mixture into each chicken breast until filled.
• Heat the oil in a large ovenproof saute pan over medium-high heat until hot and glistening. Add the chicken breasts skin-side down and cook until the skin turns a dark golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the butter, garlic and thyme, then flip and transfer the pan to the oven; cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

PROSCIUTTO GARLIC AND HERB CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN WITH TARRAGON

Steps:

• Place a chicken breast between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Pound out the chicken from the center outward. Repeat with the remaining 3 chicken breasts.
• Place one slice of prosciutto on top of each pounded chicken breast. Place a quarter of the cheese on top of each slice. Wrap and roll the chicken over the stuffing. Secure the meat with toothpicks.
• Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat with the olive oil. Season the stuffed and rolled chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and brown on all sides, cooking for 10-12 minutes.
• Remove the chicken; add the butter to the pan, then the flour. Cook for a minute, whisk in the win, and reduce for another minute. Whisk in the stock and tarragon and return the chicken to the pan.
• Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve. Remove the toothpicks. Serve the chicken whole or sliced.

GOAT CHEESE-STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place tomatoes in a shallow dish; crush with a potato masher or by hand.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until softened and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons thyme, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until sauce-like in consistency, about 10 minutes. Remove sauce from heat.
• Wrap chicken breasts in plastic wrap; place on a flat work surface. Firmly pound chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a 1/2-inch thickness.
• Combine goat cheese, green onions, 2 tablespoons thyme, and pepper in a bowl. Spread 1/4 of the mixture over the middle of each chicken breast. Roll up each chicken breast and place onto a plate, seam side-down.
• Heat butter and 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, seam side-down; cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Add the tomato sauce; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until chicken is longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 5 to 7 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

ROAST CHICKEN WITH LEEK, TARRAGON & GOAT'S CHEESE STUFFING

Steps:

• Chop the leeks and onion fairly finely: use the pulse button if chopping them in a food processor, so they don't turn to mush. Melt 25g/1oz butter in a large frying pan placed over a lowish heat and fry the vegetables gently for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft. Set the pan aside to cool.
• Strip off all the herb leaves and put them in a food processor with the remaining butter, the cheeses, breadcrumbs and the cooled vegetables. Season, then pulse until the mixture is a rough, sticky, dough-like mass.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Place the chicken with the large cavity facing towards you. Remove and discard any fat remaining inside the opening. Now gently separate the skin over the breast area from the flesh beneath: use the tip of a small knife to get going, then gently ease your fingers in between and work them to the far end on both sides of the breast bone.
• Without tearing the skin, push in dollops of stuffing, massaging them right down and over the flesh. (Put any leftover stuffing into the small neck cavity.) Pull the skin back into place and seal in the stuffing by stitching 2-3 wooden toothpicks through the edges of the opening, like a needle in a tapestry. You can make the stuffing up to 24 hours ahead, keeping it cling-filmed in the fridge.
• Put the chicken in a snug-fitting roasting tin, smear the skin with oil and season. Roast the chicken, breast-side up, for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken on its side, basting with any juices, and roast for a further 30 minutes, then roast for an equal period on the other side. Now turn the chicken breast-side up again, and continue to roast for 10-30 minutes, or until the juices run clear when a skewer is poked into the thickest part of the thigh.
• Leave the chicken to rest in the tin for 15-20 minutes, loosely draped with foil. To serve, first remove the toothpicks, then carve the chicken, spooning some of the soft stuffing onto each serving.

GOAT CHEESE AND SPINACH STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In small bowl, combine the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt., Cut a pocket horizontally in the thickest part of each chicken breast. Fill with spinach mixture; secure with toothpicks., In an 8-in. cast-iron or ovenproof skillet, heat 1-1/2 teaspoons oil over medium heat. Brown chicken on each side. Place in oven; bake 10 minutes., Toss asparagus with remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; add to skillet. Bake until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165° and asparagus is tender, 10-15 minutes longer. If desired, drizzle with vinegar. Discard toothpicks before serving.