Try some goat cheese!

I had never had goat cheese until about a month ago. In general, I do not like the more pungent cheeses like gorgonzola and bleu cheese... so I am very reluctant to try new and different cheeses. However, after hearing so many cooks on the What's Cooking? Board rave about how wonderful goat cheese is, I finally decided to try it. I love it, and wish I had tried it sooner :) It is a very creamy cheese, and is slightly tart. Since trying it, I have been looking for various ways to cook with it.

I love anything with sun dried tomatoes, so when I saw this recipe for Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes on MyRecipes.com, I knew I would like it. The balsamic glaze is a great compliment to the dish too.

This was my first time making a stuffed chicken dish, and to my surprise, it was very simple. After I cut the 'pockets' into my chicken breasts, however, I realized that I was doing it wrong. I started out thinking it was supposed to be like a chicken breast cut almost completely in half but left with a sort of 'hinge' that would sandwich the filling.... and then realized it's just supposed to be a small hole on one end of the breast. Oops! At least it didn't change the taste... next time I'll make it look prettier :)

I served this chicken with orzo and Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits. When I saw these biscuits featured on Oprah, I knew I had to try them. They were good, but I have to admit that the Cheesy Garlic Biscuits I made recently are easier and taste better :) Still, they were a great compliment to the stuffed chicken.

I should add that shortly after I discovered my love for goat cheese, my husband told me that he does not like it! Determined to show him how good it is, I did not tell him that there was goat cheese in this dish until he had finished his plate ;) Needless to say, we'll be adding this dish to our rotation and I will be looking for other ways to use goat cheese in our meals now :)

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
from CookingLight


1 cup boiling water
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped shallots, divided (I didn't have any on hand, so these were omitted)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (I didn't have any fresh basil on hand, so I used 2 tsp dried)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water

Combine boiling water and tomatoes in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and finely chop. (I had the kind that are packed in oil so I simply drained the oil and omitted the boiling step.)

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup shallots, sugar, and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Spoon into a bowl; stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar.

Combine chopped tomatoes, shallot mixture, cheese, basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring well.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; cover and keep warm. Add broth, remaining shallots, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and thyme; bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until sauce is slightly thick, stirring constantly. Serve sauce over chicken. (Approximately 2 tbsp per chicken breast.)

Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits
from Art Smith


2 cups self-rising flour (if you do not have any, use 2 cups all purpose flour + 3 tsp baking powder + 1 tsp salt)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. (2 ounces) cold butter
4 Tbsp. (2 ounces) goat cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
Extra butter to grease pan and top biscuits
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat your oven to 425°. Place one 10-inch cast iron pan into the oven while it is preheating. (I do not have a cast iron pan/skillet but found that my All-Clad pans are oven safe up to 500°.) Place flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder into a medium-sized bowl. Cut in the butter and goat cheese. Make a well in the middle of the ingredients and pour in the milk. Stir until the mix is moistened, adding an extra tablespoon of milk if needed.

Remove the hot skillet from the oven and place a tablespoon of butter into it. When the butter has melted, drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter into the pan, (use a muffin scoop to drop the batter if you have one). Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter. Bake from 14–16 minutes until browned on the top and bottom. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Enjoy warm!