Sunday Supper: Artichoke and Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken w/ Spinach & Pine Nut Orzo

Last night we had a terrific Sunday Supper of stuffed chicken and orzo. I forgot to take photos, but I will still post the recipes for anyone who may be interested.

Artichoke and Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breast
Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 3/4 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts
• 1/2 cup chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3/4 cup white wine, divided
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley leaves
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions
In a saute pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When the oil is hot add the onions and saute until translucent. Stir in the artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes, then add the salt, pepper and garlic. When the garlic begins to lightly brown, deglaze with 1/4 cup of the white wine. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the butter, allow it to melt, then toss in the Parmesan and parsley.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool before stuffing the chicken breast.

Rinse, trim and pound out chicken breasts to about 1/4-inch thick. Do not over-pound as holes in the chicken will make it difficult for the chicken to retain the stuffing.

Put 1/4 of the stuffing mixture at 1 end of a chicken breast. Gentle roll the chicken breast folding the ends in to help keep the stuffing from coming out during the cooking process. Secure the chicken roll with 2 toothpicks. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts and
stuffing.

Heat the 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil in a medium saute pan over high heat. Add the chicken breasts, with the secured side of the chicken first, to insure the roll with stay together. Brown the chicken on all sides, add remaining butter, and deglaze with remaining white wine.

Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a cutting board and discard the toothpicks. Slice each breast on a bias into 5 pieces and transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle with remaining pan drippings, garnish with a sprinkle of Parmesan and serve.

Orzo with Spinach, Grape Tomatoes & Pine Nuts
my adaptation from a a few recipes; Serves about 6

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package frozen, organic spinach; partially or fully defrosted
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 package grape tomatoes, cut into halves
• 1 lb of dried orzo pasta
• 26 oz container of chicken stock (substitute vegetable stock if vegetarian)

Directions
Heat a large covered skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and when it is hot, add the partially defrosted spinach and break apart as it heats. Stir in a pinch each of salt and pepper. Transfer the spinach to a strainer set over a bowl and drain. When cool enough to handle, press down on the spinach to extract as much liquid as possible and reserve the juice for later

In a large heavy skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly golden. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until the garlic gives off its aroma. Add in the cooked spinach and remove from the heat.

In a large saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Cook the orzo, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, for about 9 minutes or until tender. Once most of the stock is absorbed and orzo is tender stir in the spinach mixture, then stir in the uncooked grape tomato halves. Lastly, add remaining spinach juice to taste.

These two recipes were delicious together and the orzo reheated nicely tonight for dinner :-)

Sunday Supper: Boursin Stuffed Chicken, Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I love Sundays, mostly because I have lots of time. One thing I like to do with that time is cook, since it's rare that I cook much of anything that doesn't come out of a box on weeknights.

Tonight my sister came over for dinner and I prepared a yummy chicken dinner for the three of us which included Boursin Chicken, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Mashed Sweet Potatoes.

I have made the chicken recipe once before, and it comes from a cookbook that was a wedding gift from my aunt, Meet Us in the Kitchen: A Collection of Recipes and Stories from the Junior League of St. Louis.

To make the Boursin Chicken, you'll need:

5 ounces boursin cheese with herbs and garlic, softened

1 tablespoon flour

1/4 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley; divided into 2 tablespoon parts each (I used dry; thus, I use less)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter, melted

4 wooden skewers or picks

First, combine the cheese, flour, carrots, walnuts and 2 tablespoons parsley in a bowl and blend well.

Pound each chicken breast into a 5 1/2-inch square. Place 1/4 of cheese mixture on each square. Fold in the sides and roll up; secure with wooden skewers or picks.

Next, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons parsley in a shallow dish.

Brush the chicken roll-ups with melted butter. Roll in the bread crumb mixture.

Place on a wire rack in an 8X8-inch backing pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

I paired the chicken with Roasted Brussels Sprouts. (Hey, don't knock 'em till you try them!) I know that for most, Brussels sprouts conjure up unpleasant thoughts, and I'll admit this was my first time making these as well but they turned out VERY good and are very simple to make.

All you need is:

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts (I halved this since I was cooking for 3, instead of 6.)

3 tablespoons of good olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees. Then, cut off the brown end of the sprouts, pull off any yellow, outer leaves and then cut each sprout in half (note: recipe calls for whole but most reviews prefer halves to get crispier sprouts. It's your call. Since I was roasting them along with baking chicken, I kept them in the full 40 minutes but only had the oven at 350).

Mix them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Pour them on to a metal sheet pan and roast for 35-40 minutes (note: watch carefully your may desire a shorter cooking time.) Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprout evenly.

I also added some Mashed Sweet Potatoes to the mix, loosely following a Paula Dean recipe and adding a few tricks of my own. I decreased the recipe due to only serving a few for dinner tonight, so here is the recipe as I did it.

You'll need:

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons honey (or more to taste, if you prefer sweeter)

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I freshly ground mine from sticks!)

kosher salt to taste

My own addition: Add about 5 dashes of very good, aged balsamic vinegar (we brought ours back from Italy and I could literally eat it like candy.)

Add the potatoes to a dutch oven and cover with water.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes, drain well. Return the potatoes to the dutch oven, and add the butter, honey, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon and salt. You could, beat at low speed with an electric mixer until smooth or I prefer to go at it with an old-school masher or pastry blender. Serve hot!

Served together, this makes for a colorful fall plate and a scrumptious Sunday Supper.

Give it a try!