This recipe is a lighter spin on the typical cheese-stuffed chicken breast, featuring feta, tomato and Greek-inspired flavors.
Purchase similarly sized chicken breasts so they’ll cook at the same rate. Because our 3 breasts were quite large, the stuffing mixture was doubled, although that is NOT noted in the list of ingredients below. And, they had to be cooked an additional 10 minutes to come to the proper temperature. As a side dish, we roasted some asparagus spears drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and Za’atar.
Preserved lemons are a common ingredient in Moroccan recipes. You can find the salty pickled citrus in well-stocked grocery stores (near the pickles and olives) or Middle Eastern markets. We usually make and keep a jar of them in our auxiliary refrigerator. (Forgot to include them in the set-up photo below.)
Tomato and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 Tbsp. whole-milk plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup finely chopped grape tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
- 2 tsp. finely chopped preserved lemon
- 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh oregano
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 4 same-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
- ⅛ tsp. salt
- ⅛ tsp. ground pepper
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Mash feta and yogurt together in a small bowl. Stir in tomatoes, olives, lemon, oregano and garlic.
- Using a sharp knife, cut chicken breasts in half horizontally without cutting all the way through, to create a pocket. Stuff each pocket with equal amounts of the feta mixture; fold the chicken back over and secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Carefully flip the chicken and transfer the pan to the oven.
- Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees F, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a clean cutting board. Let rest for 5 minutes, then slice.
Original recipe from EatingWell Magazine.
Accounting for Taste 