Goat cheese and herb-stuffed chicken breasts - Dairy Foods

I'm back on Weight Watchers again (this week) so I dug into the (way) back of my kitchen cabinet and found my Simply Delicious Weight Watchers cookbook. Surprisingly, this thing is loaded with good (and low-point friendly) meals. Last night I made goat cheese and herb-stuffed chicken breasts and they were great, and only 6 points.

Goat cheese and herb-stuffed chicken breast

Ingredients

2 ounces goat cheese

2 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed under water, patted dry, and finely chopped

1 scallion, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped basil

2 teaspoons chopped thyme (I didn't have fresh so I used dry, if you do this remember that dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh so don't use as much)

1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs (I used panko)

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

4 teaspoons reduced-calorie mayonnaise

1 1/2 pounds baby spinach, rinsed

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a nonstick baking pan with nonstick spray. Combine the cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, scallion, basil, and thyme in a bowl, mashing with a fork, until blended. Place the bread crumbs in another small bowl.

Cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast about 2 1/2 inches long. Place one quarter of the goat cheese mixture inside each slit. Lightly press the pocket closed with a fork. Brush the top side of each breast with the mayonnaise. Dip the chicken, one piece at a time, coated-side down into the bread crumbs. Transfer coated side up to the baking pan.

Spray the tops of the chicken lightly with nonstick spray. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the crust is golden, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the spinach in a large steamer basket set in a saucepan over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover tightly and steam until the spinach just wilts, about 3 minutes. Transfer the spinach to a platter, then top with chicken.

I served this with cous cous and a side of cherry tomatoes. By the time I got to plating I was tired and hungry and just threw a handful of cherry tomatoes, uncut on the plate. Not the best presentation, but the meal was delicious! Don't be weirded out by coating the chicken breast with mayo, it keeps the chicken nice and moist and gives it a base for the bread crumbs to stick to.