I feel like chicken tonight... like chicken tonight!

This posts title is meant to be sung - whilst flapping your arms like chicken wings...remember this?

On the docket...chicken prepared two ways - one is a from-scratch recipe, inspired by the contents of this week's MEO delivery.  The second is a Lucy Waverman recipe, from my very favorite cookbook Lucy's Kitchen, which has featured on this blog before.

Tomato & Apple Compote Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients (enough for 2 breasts)

• 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, tenderloin (that little wingy type thing) removed
• 1/2 large apple, peeled and chopped (MEO)
• 1/2 tomato, seeded and chopped (MEO - hothouse)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (MEO)
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 oz of cheese shredded or sliced thinly- I used low fat mozerella, but there are lots of options that would work well
• s&p to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Slice chicken breasts open from the side, like a book.  Pound them with a meat mallet or use a heavy bottomed sauce pan to flatten them until the whole breast is the same thickness.  Season both sides with s&p
3. Heat oil in a sauce pan over med heat, then add apple, tomato, onion, vinegar, sugar, and cook until it starts to breakdown and looks jam-like (7-10 mins).  Remove from heat.
4. Spoon 1/2 apple mixture on the top egdge of one flattened breast.  Add a thin layer of cheese.  Fold the sides over top, and then roll the breast up - like a burrito!
5. At this point, I would suggest pan searing the breasts before you put them in the oven.  Mine weren't sliced open and pounded flat very well - my stuffing would have fallen out everywhere!  So I put them directly in the oven and topped with another layer of mozerella.
6. Bake the chicken for 15-17 minutes.

The stuffing and cheese did a great job keeping the chicken really moist - always a concern when cooking extra lean meat.  I will definitely be perfecting my stuffing technique, so I can do this more in the future.  I tend not to buy breasts very often, because I find them so boring and expensive.  These were on sale though, and I had the leftover tenderloins to make a chicken salad with - that was my intention anyway, until rory drowned them in hot sauce and wolfed them down before I had a chance!

This was served with a green salad (MEO) topped with the other 1/2 tomato and a balsamic vinegarette, and a baked potato (MEO).  I should say 'baked' in the microwave.  Make a few fork holes all over the potato, and nuke it on high for about 3 minutes per side. voila!

Now...This Lucy Waverman Recipe is TO DIE FOR!

Cabernet Chicken

• 1 chicken (about 3lb/ 1.5kg)
• s&p
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup sliced leek (about 1 medium leek - white and light green part)
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot (about 1 large) (MEO)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery (about 1 small stalk)
• 1 tbsp fresh tarragon
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup seedless grapes halved (about ten grapes)
• 1/2 whole grapes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Season chicken with s&p.
3. Heat butter in a casserole over medium heat. Brown chicken on all sides, until golden (a couple of minutes on each side). Remove the chicken from casserole and drain off all but 1 tbsp of fat.
4. Add leeks, carrots, celery and saute for 2 minutes, or until softened. Add tarragon and wine. Bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, or until reduced by half. Stir in halved grapes and return chicken to casserole, breast side up.
5. Bake chicken covered, basting occasionally, for 55 mins or until juices run clear. Remove chicken from casserole, cover with aluminum foil for 10 mins to let the meat rest and keep it warm.
6. Skim fat from liquid in casserole. Strain sauce into a saucepan, pressing down on the solids to get all the liquid out - discard the solids. Add whole grapes to sauce, bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Carve the chicken, and top with sauce.

Oh man oh man - the sauce. THE SAUCE! Just incredible...rich, complex tasting (but not complicated!), well rounded, perfectly seasoned.  Rory and I were both wishing for a nice chunk of crusty bread to sop up the leftovers.  The whole grapes, heated in the sauce right at the end were such a light and refreshing compliment to the richness of the sauce too.  I served the chicken with rutabaga (MEO), that was cubed, steamed (10 mins), and sauteed in a little butter, and seasoned with s&p - a great flavour compliment, but rutabaga simply isn't starchy enough to soak up the extra sauce.  I will absolutely make this dish for company, as sould you!

I hope you're all out enjoying St Paddy's activities! Erin Go Bragh!!!