Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Stir-fried Kale
Chicken tends to be every meat-lover's favourite as it's very easy to cook with and incredibly versatile when it comes to flavouring. This particular recipe is a bit of a mishmash of cultures and ingredients, with elements of Greek cuisine combined with Italian and even Chinese...
However, the star of this show has to be the halloumi. It's a Cypriot-style cheese that can have a bad reputation for being a bit rubbery or even squeaky if you don't treat it with the respect it deserves. I find that, for this recipe, the finer you can chop it up the better it melts down and provides that gooey centre everyone wants from a stuffed breast.
Now I'm lucky enough to live in Yorkshire, which is brilliant for a whole host of reasons, but it also means I have access to Yorkshire halloumi made by a Syrian family who managed to escape the conflict there to come and make cheese near Huddersfield (Google them - they're great!).
Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Stir-fried Kale
Serves 4
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tbsp natural yoghurt
200g halloumi, finely chopped
½ small bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
½ small bunch of fresh basil, finely chopped
4 free-range chicken breasts
olive oil, for frying
60g blanched cashew nuts
1 large onion, sliced
200g kale, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
½ lemon, juiced
Heat the oven to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7. Add the garlic into a bowl with the yoghurt, halloumi, herbs and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper then mix.
Season the chicken breasts, then butterfly with a sharp knife (i.e. slice almost in half horizontally, forming a pocket). Stuff with the herby mix, then fold the other half of the breast back over. Secure with cocktail sticks ensuring no filling can spill out.
Heat an ovenproof pan over a high heat, adding a good drizzle of oil. Once hot, fry the stuffed breasts on all sides until golden, being careful not to dislodge any cocktail sticks. Put the pan into the preheated oven and roast for 15-20 minutes until cooked through (a meat thermometer should read at least 65°C).
Heat a large pan with a little olive oil. Toast the nuts in the pan over a medium heat, tossing. Tip onto kitchen paper. Add the onion to the pan and fry over a high heat until lightly browned. Add the kale and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add the chilli to the pan with the lemon juice and the nuts. Season, add a little more oil, then stir-fry for 2 minutes.
When the chicken is done, rest it for 2 minutes. Serve the kale with the chicken and any pan juices alongside some sweet potato wedges, if you like.
However, the star of this show has to be the halloumi. It's a Cypriot-style cheese that can have a bad reputation for being a bit rubbery or even squeaky if you don't treat it with the respect it deserves. I find that, for this recipe, the finer you can chop it up the better it melts down and provides that gooey centre everyone wants from a stuffed breast.
Now I'm lucky enough to live in Yorkshire, which is brilliant for a whole host of reasons, but it also means I have access to Yorkshire halloumi made by a Syrian family who managed to escape the conflict there to come and make cheese near Huddersfield (Google them - they're great!).
Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Stir-fried Kale
Serves 42 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tbsp natural yoghurt
200g halloumi, finely chopped
½ small bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
½ small bunch of fresh basil, finely chopped
4 free-range chicken breasts
olive oil, for frying
60g blanched cashew nuts
1 large onion, sliced
200g kale, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
½ lemon, juiced
Heat the oven to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7. Add the garlic into a bowl with the yoghurt, halloumi, herbs and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper then mix.
Season the chicken breasts, then butterfly with a sharp knife (i.e. slice almost in half horizontally, forming a pocket). Stuff with the herby mix, then fold the other half of the breast back over. Secure with cocktail sticks ensuring no filling can spill out.
Heat an ovenproof pan over a high heat, adding a good drizzle of oil. Once hot, fry the stuffed breasts on all sides until golden, being careful not to dislodge any cocktail sticks. Put the pan into the preheated oven and roast for 15-20 minutes until cooked through (a meat thermometer should read at least 65°C).
Heat a large pan with a little olive oil. Toast the nuts in the pan over a medium heat, tossing. Tip onto kitchen paper. Add the onion to the pan and fry over a high heat until lightly browned. Add the kale and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add the chilli to the pan with the lemon juice and the nuts. Season, add a little more oil, then stir-fry for 2 minutes.
When the chicken is done, rest it for 2 minutes. Serve the kale with the chicken and any pan juices alongside some sweet potato wedges, if you like.
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