Mediterranean Chicken
Mediterranean Chicken
If you’re wondering if I’m posting a blog while I’m on vacation, then you are right. Why would I do that? Well…it’s because I love writing a blog. And what do you do when you are on vacation? You do things that you love!
You may have seen it on Facebook yesterday- I am in Playa del Carmen, Mexico and (due to a rainy day) spent yesterday hiking Mayan ruins. Very rich history…and also, my quads are still shaking. I believe I have mentioned before, when it comes to healthy eating in the summertime, traveling is the hardest for me. Out of routine and out of my kitchen. So I packed my protein bars and choose the main protein source (eggs, chicken, beef) anytime I get. I am happy to say I have quite well! Eggs in the morning, ceviche for lunch (shrimp and calamari) and usually a beef with veggies at dinner. Drinks on the other hand? I’m pretty sure these things don’t come in sugar-free.
I digress. I wanted to share a fun stuffed chicken recipe we had before leaving town. At first glance I thought it sounded complicated, but I adapted the ingredients and tried to narrow it down a bit from Rachael Ray. We loved it! For a super special version of this meal- perhaps entertaining for a group…you might even use a splash of white wine in the sauce instead of the chicken broth. Yeah, I said it.
What are your travel plans this summer??
Mediterranean Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 oz low-fat mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
- 8 slices turkey pepperoni, chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 cloves chopped garlic, finely chopped
- 4 skinless boneless chicken breast, butterflied (slit horizontally and opened like a book)
- 1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Combine the mozzarella, turkey pepperoni, onion, parsley and garlic.
- Pound the chicken slightly and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the cheese-pepperoni mixture over half of each chicken breast- fold the other half over top and secure with toothpicks.
- In a large skillet, spray well with cooking spray and add chicken. Cook on each side about 5 minutes, then transfer to a baking sheet and bake the rest of the way through; about 10 to 12 minutes.
- While chicken is baking, pour chicken broth into the skillet to deglaze the pan. Stir in the crushed tomatoes. Cover the skillet and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve sauce with chicken.