Quick & Easy Dinner: Olive and Pimento-Stuffed Chicken Breast

Here is another quick and light weeknight chicken meal: chicken breasts stuffed with pimentos/olives, cheese and bacon.


The original recipe, which I modified a bit, calls for just pimentos. However, I had never bought "just pimentos" before, and didn't have a clue where the supermarket by my house was hiding them. I looked by the olives, which seemed logical, and also by the jars of roasted red peppers, garlic, sundried tomatoes, etc etc and no dice. So I bought a jar of sliced Spanish olives with pimentos (I think this is called "olive salad" sometimes), and this is why there are olives in my pictures. I have since discovered that jars of just pimentos were hiding in the Spanish food aisle, which was probably the only aisle I didn't go down for some reason. I think the recipe was very yummy with the olive/pimento mix, although the taste of olives was strong...and salty. If you don't particularly like green olives, I'd recommend using pimentos only.



Oh, and it goes without saying that my recipe list has all light ingredients, but you can certainly substitute full-fat counterparts as you see fit!


Combine the bacon, onion, pimentos and/or olives, mayo, lemon juice, hot sauce, and the shredded cheese (if you are using shredded), and set aside. 

A few points about this step:

• I always cook my turkey bacon in the microwave to save time. Directions are usually on the package, but I always cook them on high for about 3 minutes on paper towels. Give them a minute or two to cool, and they will get crisp and easy to crumble!
• Instead of using shredded cheese and mixing it into the filling, I used what I had on hand, which was presliced fat-free cheddar (Borden). This worked fine as well, so if you already have sliced cheese, don't think you need to run out and grab shredded too. You'll just add the cheese at a later step.

Then, decide whether you want your breasts coated with bread crumbs, which is totally up to you. If you decide yes, you can use preseasoned breadcrumbs, or season your own with some Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder. This step is optional. If you are stuffing the breast, dredge the whole thing in flour, egg and then bread crumbs. If you are folding thin breasts over the filling, like what I did, you can just dredge one side, and have that be the outside that touches the pan.


Now it is time for assembly. If you are using a full-sized breast half, slice into it, creating a pocket, and stuff the filling in (stuff sliced cheese in there too if you are using it).  Secure with a toothpick.


If you are using the really thin breasts, lay the cheese slice (if you are using it) on what will be the interior side, then place the filling on top of the cheese, and fold the breast over, securing with one or a few toothpicks.

Now, saute over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes per side, adding additional spray as needed. If you have the thin breasts folded over, they should be fully cooked at this point. The thick breast will have to be finished in the oven for about 12 minutes.

Olive and Pimento-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
(Printable Recipe)


Ingredients

• 2  slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3/4  cup  shredded part-skim or fat-free cheddar cheese (or 1-2 slices per breast)
• 2  tablespoons  minced green onions
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  diced pimientos
• 1  tablespoon  canola mayonnaise or light mayo
• 2  teaspoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1/2  teaspoon  hot sauce ** or to taste
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or the thinly sliced chicken breasts that I used)
• 1/2  teaspoon  black pepper
• Cooking spray (olive oil)
• Seasoned bread crumbs (optional)
• Flour and egg for dredging breasts (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Cook bacon, either in a large ovenproof skillet, or in microwave until crisp. Crumble. 
3. Combine bacon, next 6 ingredients, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
4.  Cut a 1-inch-wide slit into the thick end of each breast half; carefully cut down to the center of chicken to form a deep pocket. Divide filling mixture evenly among pockets. Secure with wooden picks. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. OR follow directions for thin breasts, and fold breast over the filling
5. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Spray pan. Add chicken to pan; saute 4 minutes. Turn chicken over and repeat.
6. If using thin breasts, they are probably cooked through at this point. If you have thick breasts, bake at 350° for 12 minutes; let stand for 5 minutes.

BLT Dip

Now that summer barbecue season is here, I thought I should start adding some picnic-related posts. I made many of the recipes in this, and subsequent posts, for this past 4th of July. The first entry, BLT Dip, is a great addition to any bbq, or party in general. I brought it to two different parties during the 4th of July weekend, and it was a hit both places. My pictures are a little crappy, I was so intent on getting everything done for the 4th that I often forgot to take pics until it was too late. Hopefully you get the idea.

The recipe itself is very simple, I modified it from a recipe by Paula Deen:




Ingredients:

• 1 C mayonnaise
• 1 C sour cream
• 8 oz (1 block) cream cheese, softened
• ~1 lb bacon
• Iceburg lettuce, shredded or finely chopped
• Tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes cut in half)
• 1-2 C shredded cheese, cheddar or other (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon until crispy. Drain and then crumble.
2. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, and cream cheese until well blended. 
3. Add in bacon and mix well.
4. Refrigerate until about to serve. (When I made this recipe, I put the mixture together in the morning, and it had about 4 hours in the fridge before I took half of it, topped it with lettuce and tomato and served it, and it was perfect. I took the other half of this dip somewhere the next day, and it was still delicious although the bacon had lost its crunchiness by the next day.)
5. Before serving (or taking it somewhere), layer chopped tomatoes and then lettuce on the top. It is okay to do this before you leave to go somewhere, you don’t have to do immediately before serving, but I would serve it within an hour or so of doing this. Conveniently, this is an appetizer, so it gets put out first.

A few notes:

• You can substitute turkey bacon if you want, but I would not substitute light mayo, sour cream, or cream cheese because the texture will be runny and it will not combine properly.
• Feel free to add diced tomatoes (fresh or from a can) directly to the mayo/sour cream/cream cheese mixture, in addition to layering some on top. Lettuce mixed in will get soggy, however, so I recommend leaving the lettuce on top.
• Shredded cheese (1-2 cups) is also a nice addition, either layered on or incorporated directly into the mix. This depends on your tastebuds, but I would recommend cheddar.

This dish is very simple, and requires minimal effort, but it is huge on taste. It is a great recipe to keep in your party repertoire, especially since it isn't really time consuming, except for frying the bacon. Like I said, I brought it to two different parties, and it was a hit both places, with many recipe requests.