Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Use a paring knife to cut the small pocket into the chicken breasts. Serve this dish with orzo or rice to soak up the shallot-thyme sauce.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 2 tablespoons sauce)

Ingredients

• 1  cup  boiling water
• 1/3  cup  sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
• 2  teaspoons  olive oil, divided
• 1/2  cup  chopped shallots, divided
• 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
• 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

Preparation

Combine boiling water and tomatoes in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and finely chop.

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.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

296 (23% from fat)

Fat:

7.6g (sat 3g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.8g)

Protein:

43.8g

Carbohydrate:

11.3g

Fiber:

0.9g

Cholesterol:

105mg

Iron:

2.4mg

Sodium:

787mg

Calcium:

62mg