This chicken looks and tastes elegant but is really very easy to make. I do not use exact measurements. They will vary slightly by breast size and personal preference. 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts Progresso Italian style bread crumbs Goat cheese – Chavrie 5.3 oz works well Fresh spinach leaves ½ Red pepper sliced into thin strips About ½ cup White Wine Wash chicken breasts and remove any remaining fat. Slice the side of each breast as if you were going to butterfly it but instead create a pocket open at only one of the long sides. Take care not to cross contaminate the cheese with the chicken! Carefully drop one teaspoon of goat cheese into the open pocket of each breast. If the breast is large you may want to add a little more. Once all breasts have cheese inside then spread the cheese evenly within each pocket. Discard spoon and knife used so far. Wash and dry spinach leaves. Add several layers of spinach on top of the cheese. Add several thin slices of red pepper inside each pocket. Pull chicken breast back together to hide filling.
Place breasts in 13x9 glass baking dish. Drizzle each breast with a tablespoon of wine and pour the rest in bottom of dish – make sure that the entire dish bottom is covered with about a ¼ inch of wine. While this dish should really be made with a white wine from the Loire Valley area of France* it can be made more cheaply using one of the single serving bottles of white wine of your choice. (I am not a wine drinker, I don’t like it at all, but the vapors will add a slightly fruity flavor and ensures a moist chicken; the wine will be almost completely cooked away.) With the chicken breast tops now slightly moistened with wine, sprinkle the center of the top of each breast with a thin layer of the seasoned breadcrumbs. About a teaspoon or tablespoon per breast is sufficient (depending on size). You are not coating the chicken just adding a simple garnish effect to the top. Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes until breadcrumbs are lightly browned. * Sancerre, Pouilly, Bourgueil, Anjou and other finer white wines |