Stuffed Chicken and Oven Potatoes

Day two!  Thank you everyone who read or even just looked yesterday.  I had a lot of fun writing the blog and hope you liked reading it.

Today we're gonna talk about making stuffed chicken and oven potatoes.  This recipe is for Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Spinach, but you can really substitute any kind of cheese or herb etc inside it.  Keep in mind though, if you use a less moist cheese then goat cheese it is likely that you Chicken could dry out--so keep a close eye on it.  This dish is super easy to make and impressive to almost anyone... great for when you're trying to show off for your boss or in-laws. :P

The Chicken:

Chicken Breasts--I use about 4 to feel about 5 or so people (I also use kroger brand)
Salt--I prefer sea salt
Pepper
Goat Cheese
Fresh Spinach--you can use canned or frozen, I just like fresh better.

First thing you have to do with chicken breasts it clean it up with a simple steak knife.  Cut off blood clots, fatty tissue, etc.  I'm super picky about chicken--if there are tendons then they're coming off before they go anywhere near my stove/oven.

1. Once you've cleaned them up to your liking cut the breasts in half vertically so that they're a little thinner and easier to work with.   Take the halved breasts and put them one at a time into a ziploc bag and hammer them even flatter with a frying pan--yes I use a frying pan.  Be sure not to completely mutilate the chicken, it's not like beef so it isn't super durable.  Two or three medium strength hits should do it.
2. Next take the chicken and sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper on both sides of the breast and then lay them on a cookie sheet covered in foil.
3. Once each breast has a thin coating of salt/pepper, we prepare the stuffing.  In a microwavable safe bowl place a few handfuls of spinach (more than you think because when you cook it it won't seem like as much) and about 2 tsp of water.  Microwave for one minute until cooked. (Skip this step if you used canned or frozen).  Drain the excess water and place in the fridge or freezer until cooled.
4. Open your goat cheese (or whatever cheese you prefer) and begin to break it up into another bowl.  Add a little more salt and pepper to taste.  When the spinach is cooled dry it gently on a paper towel and then add it to the goat cheese mixture.  Mix all the ingredients well.
5. Now take about a table spoon (or more if you'd like, just be aware that the stuffings may leak out) of the stuffing and place it in the center of your chicken breast.  Roll one end over the top of the stuff and place the breast on the pan with the folded edges down.  If it won't stay you probably have too much stuffing--if you want that much stuff then adding a couple tooth picks on each end will fix the issue in a snap.  Repeat for all the chicken breasts.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 and bake for about 25 minutes--may vary depending on your stove so I would check on them at 15 and 20 minutes.  I always say be willing to cut the breast open.  Just give the cut one to yourself when you serve--better to have a chicken breast with a tiny slice in it than to have it be undercooked and give your guests food poisoning.

The Potatoes:

3 Medium Potatoes

2-5 tbsp Olive oil--I like a lot of oil, some people don't

Crushed red pepper

Sea Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder or Garlic Salt

First--wash your potatoes very well.  Use soap if you have to.  You know how when you cut potatoes and they get kinda dingy looking?  That's dirt that you didn't get off when you where cleaning them... gross.  :P

1. Cut the potatoes into pieces as large or as small as you prefer.  I like to dice mine into bite sized triangles to make them easy to eat but that's just me.
2. Take a casserole dish or a brownie/cake tin and place the potatoes and add the olive oil.  Coat the potatoes well in the oil.
3. Add seasonings to taste.  I added the ones that I like to add.  You can add in a few onions etc, but I'm mildly allergic to onion so I use them sparingly.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 and cook for about 35 minutes--again this may very depending on the size that you left the potatoes and your oven and you can check the tenderness of the potato by poking it with a fork.

I usually serve this with a spinach salad topped with black berries and Annie's Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette.

Enjoy!
Kait