This apricot chicken stuffed with goat cheese is a little sweet, a little savoury, and a whole lot of delicious. In fact, it’s so packed with flavour I find that the simpler the side the more the flavours sing.
It reheats well the next day for lunch and can easily be used for meal prep throughout the week.
Ingredients (serves 4):
3 rashers of back bacon
140 grams of goats cheese
15 grams of green pesto
650 grams of chicken breasts
160 grams of apricot jam
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
fresh thyme
salt
pepper
Method:
🔸 Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5).
🔸 Place a large dry frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the bacon for 2-3 minutes on each side until crispy, then remove from the pan and place on a paper towel. Reserve the pan for cooking the chicken.
🔸 Mix the goat’s cheese with the pesto in a small bowl.
🔸 Make a horizontal cut in the chicken breast, taking care not to cut all the way through, just enough to make a small pocket. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
🔸 Stuff each pocket in the chicken breast with 2 tablespoons of the pesto and goat’s cheese mixture. Place the chicken breast in the frying pan and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes. Then remove the chicken from the pan and place into an ovenproof dish.
🔸 Mix the apricot jam, balsamic vinegar and chilli flakes together in a small bowl. Coat the tops of the chicken breasts with the jam mixture. Place the chicken into the oven and cook for 12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
🔸 Chop up the crispy bacon and sprinkle it on top of the chicken along with the fresh thyme. Serve immediately.
Nutrition per serving:
466 kcal
51g protein
30g carbs
17g fat
