Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Herbed Couscous Food

BRUSCHETTA 'N CHEESE-STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup cheese and basil in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix; stir just until moistened.
• Place 2 chicken breasts in freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Pound chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Remove chicken from bag; place, top sides down, on work surface. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Spoon stuffing mixture over chicken.
• Roll chicken breasts up, starting at one short end of each. Place, seam sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish; drizzle with dressing. Bake 40 min. or until chicken is done (165°F). Top with remaining cheese; bake 5 min. or until melted.

CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH HERBED COUSCOUS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil. Add couscous; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and remove from heat; let steam 5 minutes. Add mint, pine nuts, scallions, lemon zest and juice, and 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper, and fluff with a fork.
• Lay chicken flat on a work surface. With a paring knife, cut a 2-inch-long slit in the thick side of each breast. Insert knife, and pivot inside chicken without enlarging opening, carefully forming a deep pocket (make sure not to pierce the opposite side). Stuff each breast with an equal amount of couscous mixture, packing it tightly.
• In a large skillet, heat remaining tablespoon oil over medium. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place in skillet, and cook until browned on one side, 6 to 8 minutes. Carefully turn chicken over, and add 1/2 cup water to skillet (a little couscous may fall out). Cover, and cook until chicken is opaque throughout, 6 to 8 minutes more.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• It's best to use a nice free-range or organic chicken for this dish, or the best-quality bird you can afford; and I love the idea of the tasty vegetables in this recipe getting a whole lot of love. If you like, a mint sauce would make a great accompaniment. Pretty delish!
• Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place the chicken on a board and make some deep crisscross slashes into the legs - this will help the spices to penetrate the meat, and will also help it to cook more quickly. Halve the lemon and place inside the chicken, then rub the chicken skin all over with olive oil, a little sea salt, pepper and the cumin. Transfer the chicken to a roasting tray and place in the hot oven.
• Peel and quarter the onions and carrots. When the chicken's been cooking for around 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 180°C and add the onions and carrots to the tray. Roast for a further hour, or until golden and cooked through - the chicken is cooked when the thigh meat pulls easily away from the bone and the juices run clear.
• Once perfectly cooked, carefully lift the chicken onto a plate or board and cover with tin foil and a couple of tea towels to keep warm. Spoon the vegetables onto a board and roughly chop them, then tip back into the tray and place on a medium heat. Pour in 500ml boiling water and stir well, making sure you scrape up all the lovely sticky goodness from the bottom of the tray.
• Drain and roughly chop the peppers, then add them to the tray with the smoked paprika, ground coriander and the couscous. Pull the lemon halves out of the chicken with a pair of tongs and squeeze the juices into the tray (making sure to catch any pips). Bring to the boil, then turn the heat off and leave to rest for 5 minutes, or until the couscous has absorbed all of the water. Meanwhile, pick and finely chop the mint leaves. When the time's up, fluff up the couscous using a fork and stir through the chopped mint. Drizzle with a good lug of extra virgin olive oil and everything together.
• Cut the chicken up into joints, removing the skin if you want to keep it healthy, then serve with the tasty roast-vegetable couscous. Enjoy!
• Jamie's Tip: Basting a chicken as it cooks helps to stop it drying out, giving you lovely, juicy meat. Check on the chicken every 20 to 30 minutes, and spoon any juices from the bottom of the tray back over the bird.

CREAM CHEESE & HERB STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degres F.
• Flatten open chicken breasts; spread 1 tablespoon of cream cheese on one half of each breast (resist the temptation to use more-- a little cream cheese goes a looooooong way!).
• Evenly distribute the fresh herbs on top of that and season with salt and pepper.
• "Fold"the chicken breasts back up and press tightly, tucking in cream cheese a bit.
• In a shallow dish, combine the 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper, paprika and flour.
• In another dish, pour the beaten egg mixture.
• In a third dish, combine bread crumbs, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese.
• First dip chicken breasts in flour mixture, then beaten egg mixture, then bread crumb mixture.
• Place chicken on a lightly greased baking sheet, drizzle about a tablespoon of melted butter on each breast and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until cooked through and tender.

HERB STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Soften cream cheese and mix in fresh herbs. ( If you use dry herbs use 1 tsp instead of one tablespoon)
• Cut a pocket in each chicken breast.
• Stuff with a heaping tablespoon of herb stuffing.
• Dredge each breast in flour.
• Dip in the egg wash and roll in the bread crumbs.
• In a large skillet add 3 tablespoons of oil, and saute the breasts until browned/ Place the sautéed breasts on a greased baking pan.
• Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or so.

GARLIC AND HERB STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, garlic, scallions and toasted pine nuts. Set aside.
• Blot chicken breasts with a paper towel. With a sharp knife, make a horizontal cut halving the chicken breasts, but leave one side attached. Spread the chicken breasts open so that they lie flat.
• Place a generous tablespoon in the middle of each chicken breast. Reclose the chicken breast and pinch closed.
• In a small bowl, mix the mustard and honey. Brush on the top of each chicken breast. Place the chicken breasts on a flat foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F(74°C).

LEMON HERB CHICKEN WITH COUSCOUS AND CUCUMBER SALAD

Steps:

• Bring chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand until broth is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
• Whisk 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, and oregano together in a bowl to make dressing.
• Place chicken breasts in a shallow dish. Drizzle 1/4 cup dressing on top. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts; cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a large plate. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Place 3 tablespoons dressing in a large bowl; stir in sugar. Add tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add feta cheese and toss again.
• Drizzle remaining dressing over couscous and fold in olives. Divide couscous among 4 plates. Slice chicken breasts and place on top. Serve tomato salad on the side. Sprinkle parsley over each plate.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH COUSCOUS & PINE NUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Put couscous in a large heatproof bowl, pour over stock, then cover with cling film for 5 mins until liquid is absorbed. Melt half the butter in a pan, then gently cook onion and garlic for 5-8 mins until soft. Set aside. Dry-fry pine nuts for a few mins until golden. Combine onions, pine nuts, apricots and herbs with couscous. Add a good squeeze of lemon juice, season, then stir in egg. Leave to cool.
• Using the back of a knife, stretch rashers to 1½ times their original length. Lay, slightly overlapping, on a large sheet of foil to form a rectangle. Make a few slashes in the thickest part of each chicken breast and lay between 2 sheets of cling film. Use the base of a heavy pan to bash the chicken until about 1cm thick. Arrange chicken over the bacon, fitting so there are no gaps, but leave a border on longer sides. (This helps to roll up the chicken.)
• Spoon stuffing over chicken in a strip along one of the longest sides. Using tin foil to help, roll bacon and chicken around stuffing like a log. Wrap tightly in foil, twisting the ends to secure, then chill for 2 hrs or up to 1 day.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Place chicken, join-side down, in a roasting tray. Cook for 30 mins, then unwrap foil and brush roast with remaining butter. Cook, uncovered, for 20-30 mins more until cooked through, and the stuffing is hot (a metal skewer inserted into the chicken's centre should come out hot). Cool and wrap in fresh foil to transport.

COUSCOUS STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST WITH FETA, SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND KALAMATA OLIVES

Steps:

• For the couscous: In saucepan over medium heat add olive oil, when hot, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and saute a few minutes more. Add olives and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the box of couscous, turn off heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, and season with salt and pepper. Spread 2 cups on large plate, add in 1/2 pound feta, and let cool. Keep the remaining hot to serve with chicken. (Put in covered casserole and reheat in oven last 10 minutes with chicken.)
• For the chicken: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Trim chicken with a boning knife, if needed. Start at top of breast and carefully make a lengthwise cut from top to bottom and making a pocket about 2 inches, making sure not to pierce the other side of the breast. When couscous is cool enough to handle, carefully spoon couscous mixture into pocket. Even out the stuffing by gently moving it around with your hands. Wipe off any excess couscous from outside of breasts and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil and butter in saute pan and brown off both sides of chicken. Place chicken on baking sheet and place in oven for 20 minutes.
• While chicken is baking, make the sauce.
• For the sauce: In saute pan that you cooked chicken breasts in, heat and add garlic. Deglaze with white wine and add lemon juice. Reduce by one third. Add in sun-dried tomatoes, let reduce for 2 to 3 minutes, add the olives, turn off heat, add the butter and stir to combine.
• To serve, place couscous from oven on plate, cut chicken breast in half, top with sauce, crumble remaining feta cheese over.

GRILLED HARISSA CHICKEN BREASTS WITH HERBED COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Combine the garlic, paprika, onion powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and stir.
• Put the chicken breast in a large resealable plastic bag, then add the spice blend. Seal the bag and massage to coat the chicken with the seasoning. If time allows, let marinate for a few minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.
• When ready to grill, preheat one side of the grill to high, leaving the other side cool to create indirect heating.
• Pour the olive oil into the resealable bag and massage to coat the chicken. Remove the chicken from bag, and place on the hot side of the grill. Grill, undisturbed, until you get char marks, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the chicken a quarter turn and grill, undisturbed, to achieve a crosshatch sear mark, about 2 minutes. Flip and repeat the process on the other side.
• Once you have great char on both sides, baste the chicken with a generous amount of the harissa and move the chicken to the cool side of the grill. Close the lid and cook the chicken, checking every 2 to 3 minutes for an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Slice on the bias and serve with the herbed couscous.
• Heat the butter in a lidded medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic. Add the chicken stock, stir and bring to boil. Add the couscous and stir.
• Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the herbs. Add salt and pepper, to taste.