Sunday, November 7, 2010

A Comfortable Combo: Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Leeks

Leeks, kin to the garlic and onion family, taste like a mild onion-tinged cucumber. They look like giant green onions. When cooked in butter they melt into a silky texture. Overlooked and undervalued, leeks are seldom appreciated outside of creamy potato soup recipes. Goat cheese is soft white cheese, softer even than even cream cheese, but with a tarter, milkier finish. Tonight, I would combine the smooth buttery quality of leeks with this soft, milky goat cheese as a stuffing for chicken braised in white wine and broth.

My first bite had already relaxed my mouth into a creamy grin, as this rich dish enveloped me senses with a soft blanket of warm, comforting flavor. Each bite entailed a heaping forkful of cheesy stuffing oozing from a juicy, tender chicken breast alongside a velvety mushroom risotto. This meal was cozy. A classy comfort food, it made you slow down, snuggle up, and melt into a couch afterwards. It was the perfect transition into a lazy movie night because I was so full. But I only ate half my chicken breast! Seconds for dinner tomorrow night? It’s better than any frozen dinner us college kids can afford.

Chicken Stuffed with Leeks and Goat Cheese

Ingredients:

2 T butter

2 leeks, rinsed and chopped

1 clove garlic

Salt and pepper

1 tsp thyme

½ cup goat cheese

2 large chicken breasts; cut for stuffing

2 T olive oil

½ cup water

¾ cup white wine

1 cup broth

Instructions:

1. In a skillet, melt butter over medium high heat until bubbly.

2. Add in leeks and garlic, cook until soft about 8 min.

3. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Let cool.

4. Mix in goat cheese.

5. Stuff with goat cheese and leeks, secure with toothpicks.

6. In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat.

7. Sear chicken on all sides until lightly browned – about 5 min a side.

8. Add water, white wine and broth. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 15 min or until chicken is cooked.

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