Monday, August 17, 2009

Dinner One: Stuffed Chicken and Bruschetta

So tonight is the first of seven that I'll be cooking a brand new recipe and posting it for y'all. The main reason I'm blogging about this is so that I'm held accountable to actually doing it. Also so that you each might be inspired to get creative in the kitchen and try some new recipes of your own.. or one that I have tried. I told Kell that I was doing this and he's pretty excited and all about it because this guarantees good home cooking at least 7 days in a row!

So onto the eats...

Yesterday I went to a matinee showing of Julia and Julie with my mom and thoroughly enjoyed it! What an adorable movie and also kind of an inspiration for this 7 new recipies in 7 days deal I'm doing. So in honor of one of the movies many tasty looking recipes, I decided to make a yummy tomato and basil bruschetta for the side dish. Then I went onto Real Simple's website and found a recipe for artichoke/parmesan/thyme stuffed chicken. It all turned out really well and the flavors all blended divinely!



Stuffed Chicken
Serves:4

1 14-ounce jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 tblsp grated parmesan
1 1/2 tblsp fresh thyme leaves
4 6-ounce bonless skinless chicken breasts
2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix the artichokes, parmesan, and 1 1/2 tblsp of thyme in a small bowl

2. Cut a 2-inch pocket in the center of the chicken breast starting on the thickest side. Stuff a quarter of the artichoke mixture into each pocket. Rub the chicken breasts with 1 tsp of the oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium. grill chicken, turning once, until cooked through. About 6 to 7 minutes per side.


Bruschetta
Makes: 4 pieces

4 slices of a crusty baguette, cut diagonally
1 pint of grape tomatoes
2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp coarse salt
chopped fresh basil

1. quarter the tomatoes (seed them if you want, I didn't). Toss them in a small bowl with 1 tblsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of salt.

2. Brush the remaining olive oil on both sides of the bread slices generously (add more olive oil if neccessary to cover both sides of each slice).

3. Place oiled bread in a pan at medium heat and lightly brown each side. Remove from heat. Cut the garlic clove in half and scrape the tops of each slice a few times, just to add a little extra flavor.

4. Spoon tomatoes and accumulated juices/oils over bread. Top with chopped basil and a pinch more of salt to taste.



HOPE YOU ENJOY! We sure did!

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