Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I was excited to branch out into Pesto.  I have never made my own, but I wanted to try to use some prepared pesto in a recipe.  Baby Steps!  So here is my first ever recipe with Pesto.  I found that it adds a lot of flavor to chicken and it freezes beautifully!  

Ingredients:

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts         9.36  
7 oz  prepared pesto                                    4.48
1 Lg yellow or white onion                           .30
8oz tomato sauce                                           .42
         with basil, oregano and garlic
1/2 C grated parmesean cheese                1.00
Salt and Pepper


Directions:

Chop the onion into 1/2" chunks and place one third into each of three 8" pans.   As the pesto cooks inside the chicken the oil tends to leak out and collect in the bottom of the pan.  By putting onions underneath the chicken breasts it lifts the chicken up out of the oil and you get more flavor and less fat.

Place a chicken breast on your cutting board.  Place one hand on top of the breast and carefully slice the breast in half from the side.  Don't cut all the way through the breast and open it like a book.  It will look like the shape of a heart.

Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper.  Spread the right half of your chicken breast with 1/6 of the prepared pesto.

Fold the left half of the chicken breast back over the right side and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Repeat with the remaining breasts and place into two stuffed breasts into each 8x8" pan.

Open the can of tomato sauce and spoon two to three Tablespoons of the tomato sauce over each breast until all 8oz of the sauce has been used.

Sprinkle each chicken breast with two to three tablespoons of shredded parmesean cheese.

Cover with foil, label and freeze.  When you are ready to cook the chicken please thaw in the fridge for two days.  Then bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Then remove foil and bake 5-10 additional minutes to brown the cheese.   Each breasts feeds two adults. My husband and I like to eat this meal with rice and veggies. 

I was able to make three meals for $5.19.  I hope you enjoy this chicken as much as we do!  I look forward to trying lots of pesto recipes in the future. 

Enjoy!

Christie aka Keeza

Feta Stuffed Greek Meatballs

I experimented with Mozzarella stuffed meatballs and they were very difficult.  The melting point for Mozzarella is so low it oozes out of the meatballs while baking. Then you are left scraping the pan to have a broken meatball with a gooey cheesy skirt.  Before I completely gave up on the idea I decided to try using a cheese that has a much higher melting point.  Feta!  I can't get enough Feta cheese!  It's salty and tart.  It adds such a huge punch of flavor in such a small package.  If you like sharp cheddar cheese, I bet you would also like Feta.  A little goes a long way.  The acid in the Greek seasoning adds a fabulous kick to the meatball.  These are little meatballs with attitude!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs ground beef                           7.38
1/2 onion                                                .20
1 clove garlic                                          .03
1 large egg                                             .23
2 Tbsp Greek seasoning                        1.00
1/2 cup bread crumbs                             .25
6 oz chunk feta cheese                        4.49

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl add the ground beef.  Grate in the onion and garlic.  Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp of Greek seasoning.  Crack in the egg and top with bread crumbs.  Mix together with your hands until all the spices and bread crumbs look incorporated.  

After you wash your hands use a small plate or cutting board to slice the feta into 1/2" cubes.  Grab 3 8x8" pans and lay them out on your counter.  Now you are ready to assemble!

Grab a small hand full of the meat mixture and flatten it our in your hand to make a 2 1/2" to 3" patty.

Put one cube of feta in the middle of your patty.

Gently fold the meat up around the feta and give the ball and roll between your hands to form a ball.

Now place the meatball in one of your pans and repeat the ball making process until all the meat is gone.  I was able to make 27 feta stuffed meatballs with 2 1/2 lbs of ground beef.

Now cover the pans with labeled foil and freeze the two pans you are not ready to use.  Bake the remaining pan at 375 degrees for 30 minutes covered, 10 minutes uncovered.  When you are ready to use the frozen meatballs please thaw in the fridge for two days before baking.

These meatballs came out fantastic.  My husband was pleased with all the flavor packed into one little bundle.  They are great just as is, or you can top with a little marinara sauce to add a balance of sweet tomato to balance the acid in the Greek seasoning.  If you are feeling festive you can mix shredded diced cucumber, dill and sour cream to make a basic Tzatziki sauce, but do not freeze the sauce.  It will split.

My favorite brand of Greek seasoning is the Greek Rub from Pampered Chef.  But you can make your own seasoning by combining 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 tsp dried mint, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp dried marjoram, 1/2 tsp dried minced onion, 1/4 tsp dried minced garlic and 1 tsp of grated lemon zest.   We serve our meatballs with a side salad and sliced tomatoes.  Opa! 

Enjoy!

Christie aka Keeza