Stuffed chicken breast

Last week I made a stuffed chicken breast and it was awesome.

Here is how to do it

1 chicken breast per person, skin on is best, keeps it moist.

Sea salt

Pepper

Feta that's been crumbled or chopped up

Basil and Oregano (fresh is best, otherwise just the dry stuff)

Olive oil

Make a slice down the breast so that there is kind of like a pocket along the side of it. Then combine the feta, and herbs and push this into the hole that you have made. Drizzle some olive oil over the top of the breast (skin side up) and season with salt and pepper. I cooked in a fry pan but it took way too long and was a little tough in some parts, so I wouldn't do it like that again. I normally cook my breasts in a roasting tray in the oven which is pre heated to 200c so I think that's almost 400 F and it takes about 40 mins to cook. You could also wrap it in foil and cook it in the oven that way for around the same time.

I then added some butter, lemon juice and some chicken stock to the pan and sort of made a mini gravy type sauce to pour over the top.

You could also stuff the breast with ricotta, sundried tomatoes, olives and other herbs.

Yummy Mini Quiches

I made some mini quiches today for Arch to take to work, instead of his normal stash of chocolate and junk food along with the odd piece of fruit. My SIL gave me a recipe for them, but I kind made my own up anyway.

Makes about 18

2 sheets puff pastry

3 eggs

1 or 2 tablespoons thickened cream

2 or so tablespoons grated cheese

2 spring onion sprigs finely chopped

50gms ham finely chopped

half tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsely

salt and pepper

1 tomato cut finely

Pre heat oven to 180 celcius

grease 2 muffin trays (12 cup ones) (I only have one, so I just saved the mixture in the fridge til the first lot were ready)

Beat eggs, then add all the ingredients to the bowl and mix.

Using a egg ring or something similar cut the pastry and then place the pastry at the bottom of the pans. Use 1 tablespoon of mixture for each little pan of pastry.

Place in oven and cook for around 20 mins or until golden on the top, leave to rest for a few moments before placing in an air tight container. They will keep for 2-3 days. You can eat them hot or cold.

What's on the menu this week

I am trying a few new things this week.

Monday-Grilled lamb chops with sweet potato chips (thanks to Jessica for that idea)
Tuesday-chicken breasts stuffed with feta, basil and oregano with a roast tomato, lemon and herb risoni (both new dishes)
Wednesday- Grilled steak with vegies
Thursday-Shepherds pie, garlic bread
Friday- Shepherds pie and garlic bread
Saturday- roast lemon chicken and vegies
Sunday- tomato chicken pasta bake (using left over chicken from night before).

Roasted Chicken with asparagus and cherry tomatoes

Last night I did a variation of a Jamie Oliver recipe.

2 chicken breasts with skin on (each person gets one breast, you have to have each breast in its own foil parcel).

50 gms butter (real butter, not like in a tub)

1 clove garlic

6 sprigs fresh thyme

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

1 lemon

1 bunch asparagus

10 or so cherry tomatoes


Preheat oven to 200 celcius

Make a parcel of foil, by getting a long piece of foil (about your arms length) and fold in half, then fold up all the sides to make a little foil dish for everything to sit on.

Cut cherry tomatoes in half, place half of these in each foil parcel.

Snap ends off asparagus and place half the quantity in each parcel.

chop up the clove of garlic and take off the leaves of 4 sprigs of thyme (use the other 2 sprigs as decoration for the top of the chicken breast)

Add the garlic and thyme, salt and pepper to the butter which has been cut into 2cm pieces (so they can fit under the skin of the breast).

Place as much of the butter under the breasts as you can, put remaining butter around the breast in the foil. Grate the grind from the lemon onto both breasts and then squeeze the lemon onto both breasts.

fold up the foil as around the breast making sure the juice etc can't escape, but leaving room for air and the skin to brown a little.




place on a tray in the middle rack of the oven. Takes around 25-35 mins to cook depending on your oven. Pour a little of the juice left in the foil as you serve it onto the plate.



I served with roasted vegetables.
The way Jamie does it is serves it with fresh rosemary and white wine (I didn't have any white wine) but you could also use basil or taragon, they both go well with chicken too.

On the Menu this week

I was finding it hard this week what to decide to cook, so I just really looked for meat that was on special and decided what to cook while I was shopping.

Monday- Beef Stirfy with Hokkein noodles
Tuesday- OH MUMMA crispy chicken with cherry tomatoes and roast/steamed vegies
Wednesday-lamb chops and vegies
Thursday- chicken breasts stuffed with a garlic/lemon/thyme butter and roast vegies
Friday- Lasagna
Saturday-chicken schnitzel and vegies
Sunday- home made pizza's.

Pasta with chicken, roast pumpkin and spinach

So last night I tried to re create this pasta dish I had tried when we were on holiday. I looked on the net for a few ideas and took a few of them and added my own in. It was really delicious, it could of used a dash of something else maybe, not sure what, could of been that I used low fat cream and not full fat cream...

So first of all I got half a pumpkin (butternut would of been great, but I could only get a jap pumpkin) and cut it up into 1cm or so pieces. I cut half a red onion finely and 2 cloves of garlic. I put all this in a roasting pan with some olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. I roasted them for about 20 mins I think on 200 celcius.

Then I cut up 2 chicken breasts into about 1-2 cm pieces and the rest of the onion. I had some frozen spinach so I de thawed that in the microwave. (Meanwhile the water was on for the pasta). Then I cooked the chicken and onion til browned and then added the pumpkin and spinach. When the pasta was almost cooked I added about 300-400mls cream, 2 handfuls of continental (flat leaf parsely) some more salt and pepper and a handful of parmesan cheese.

To serve I used Fettucine, but I think they used liguine in the place I had it. I added some extra parsley and parmesan cheese on the top once it was in the bowls.

Tonight I am going to add some feta to the left overs and see what that is like. Pine nuts could be added too for extra texture.

Menu for the week

So I am going to try 2 new things this week, a new lamb dish and a new chicken pasta dish. I had this awesome pasta dish while we were away so I am going to try and recreate it, I looked online and think I found recipes for it too.

The only day really set is Saturday, when I will make the pasta dish for a friend who is coming over while Arch is out. The other days I will make what I feel like :)

Monday-Chicken pieces with lemon and herb in the oven with vegies
Tuesday-spaghetti bolognaise
Wed- leftover spaghetti
Thursday- Lamb cutlets crusted with bread crumbs, rosemary served with grilled vegies and feta salad
Friday-Beef stir fry
Saturday- Chicken pasta with roast pumpkin and spinach
Sunday- not sure yet, see what there is in the fridge etc and what I feel like. Something not complicated though as its mother's day so I am taking a day of rest :P