Basil, Chevre & Lemon Stuffed Chicken

I can be passionate about a lot of things, but cooking has to be in my top 3. This dish was inspired by ONCE a month mom. I am a huge believer you never throw food away; I tweaked this recipe so I accomplished using what I had available in the refrigerator.

Rob and I joined a wine club as a result of a trip to the Russian River Valley. The white wine I used  was DeLoach 2009 Hawk Hill Chardonnay. This is mentioned simply to remember the wine, not that we are wine experts! Of course, any white wine worth drinking will do in this dish; however, a great glass of wine with dinner was quite enjoyable.

I LOVE goat cheese, so most of my recipes with cheese will reflect this and our local, Haystack Mountain goat cheese, is by far superior.  Any cheese of your imagination would work as a substitute. Boursin cheese comes to mind.

An array of grains could be used instead of the gluten-free pasta; rice, orzo, quinoa. Please check out www.pappardellespasta.com, for delicious hand-crafted pastas.

As far as the sauce, one may increase proportions accordingly if you enjoy a saucier version. Fresh, minced garlic maybe a nice addition as well?

Next time add a garnish of toasted pine nuts?

Note to self: Once chicken is cooked; remove the lemon and cut chicken up into bite-size pieces. This allows for max soak-up of the delicious sauce. To richen; a dollup of Boursin cheese melted would be lovely.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 4 ounces Haystack Mountain chevre
• 1 large lemon
• 1 tablespoons grape seed oil
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine or equal amount apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 cup Pappardelle's gluten-free Lemon Parsley large trumpet pasta
• 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoon butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Direction:

Under cold water, rinse and pat dry chicken breasts. Cut a pocket into the top of each breast.

Combine the chevre and chopped basil. Slice the lemon and cut the slices in half. Fill each chicken breast pocket with the cheese mixture and lemon slices; dividing each evenly between the 4 chicken breasts. Secure the stuffed pockets with wooden toothpicks. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add the grape seed oil and olive oil to a large skillet and heat on medium high. Saute the chicken about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Add the chicken broth and white wine to the skillet, cover with a lid, and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. No need to turn the chicken.

While chicken is simmering boil the pasta according to package directions and drain. Add the parmesan cheese and butter to the cooked pasta. Cover to keep warm.

Serve the chicken over the pasta with sauce drizzled over the top.