Chipotle Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Sometimes I just really don’t want to make what I planned for dinner. Steve and I have been pretty good about meal planning. It gets me excited to cook dinner, keeps me from eating Chipotle for dinner every night of the week, and it’s a great opportunity to work through my recipe to do list, but sometimes I just really, really don’t want to make what I’m supposed to.

I usually use this as an excuse to go out to dinner. Steve is realllllly good about letting me. It goes something like this:

Me: Uggghhhh, I don’t want to cook. Can we just get sandwiches from Whole Foods? Or Chipotle? Again?

Steve: Sure. Put the dogs outside.

He is so agreeable that one. Sometimes I wish he’d be more of a jerk, and say something like “No B. Get in the kitchen and make my dinner!” Okay, actually I don’t wish he would say that. I wouldn’t mind being held a liiiiiittle more accountable though.

So this particular night, I was supposed to make lettuce wraps. It sounded good when I wrote it on the list. I took chicken out of the freezer to thaw for it, but the night came, and I was tired, and I just didn’t feel like going to the trouble of chopping things. I really wanted to go out instead, but I gave myself a little pep talk, and before I knew what I was actually making, I was butterflying some chicken and throwing things inside.

Excluding salt and pepper (which I don’t count as ingredients, because I think that’s silly), this recipe has a total of 3 ingredients, and an equal amount of steps to prepare it. I know a lot of people struggle with making healthy eating, especially weeknight dinners, easy and accessible.

In fact, my friend Meryl even asked me to create a space for simpler recipes on the blog where they’d be easier to find (I plan to).

I wasn’t sure how this chicken would turn out since, as I said, I didn’t actually plan any of it out. I happened to have some leftover chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from this recipe, and in my house, goat cheese goes makes everything better, so I stuck them inside the chicken and crossed my fingers.

If you want to make your life easier, browning the chicken is not mandatory, but I would highly recommend it. By giving the meat a quick sear to get it browned then transferring to the oven to cook all the way through, you get the best of both worlds–perfectly browned outside with the softest, juiciest, most tender chicken breast you will ever taste underneath.

The biggest complaints people have about chicken breast are that it’s boring and dry. This meal is neither of those things! The chipotle peppers give it a bold, spiciness, while the goat cheese adds a comforting creaminess, and the sear-then-bake method makes for anything but dry chicken!

Chipotle Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken

yield 2 servings

• 2 medium chicken breasts
• salt and pepper (a good pinch of each)
• 2-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (I used 4, and it was SPICY. Use less for a more mild taste.)
• 1 oz goat cheese, crumbled**

**If you’re looking for a dairy free option, try using half an avocado instead!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside. Season both sides of chicken with a hefty pinch each of salt and pepper. Butterfly each chicken breast and top with peppers and goat cheese. Fold chicken back over on top of fillings.
2. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and coat with nonstick spray (or olive oil if you prefer). Once pan is hot, carefully add chicken and sear until browned, about 5 minutes. Carefully flip chicken to brown the other side, about an other 5 minutes.
3. Transfer chicken to prepared baking dish. Use a couple of toothpicks to secure the opening and keep the fillings inside. Bake in preheated oven until cooked throughout and juices run clear, about 15-20 minutes. Drizzle with extra adobo sauce if desired, and serve immediately.