Chicken with Rosemary Goat Cheese Cups

It was Architect’s turn to cook last Wednesday but being that she was still half way around the world, we thought it would be too difficult for all of us to tote our salad, wine and dessert over 7000 miles….fun, but difficult.  So, we switched turns and I cooked for our smaller crew still on this side of the Atlantic and a few little mountain ranges.

Although our gathering was smaller, the Chicken with Rosemary Goat Cheese cups I made were a big hit.  This recipe is from my Muffin Tin Cookbook and, although I tried to follow the directions that called for cutting the chicken breast in half, placing a slit in the cut side, and filling the pocket with the yummy mixture of goat cheese, rosemary, shallots and breadcrumbs, I quickly abandoned that malarkey and employed my own method.

As Julia says, when you’re in your own kitchen, who’s to know!

Chicken with Rosemary Goat Cheese Cups

3 boneless chicken breasts, slice in half width wise

4 ounces of goat cheese
1 small shallot, diced
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons of bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons of fresh rosemary, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Prepare 6 jumbo muffin tin cups by spraying with cooking spray.  Pound the chicken breasts thin and line six of the the muffin tin cups with the chicken.  Place the goat cheese, salt, pepper, bread crumbs and rosemary in a food processor and mix completely.  Place some stuffing in each prepared chicken cup and season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. 

The next time, I’ll fold some dried cherries into the goat cheese mixture before filling the chicken cups.  Also, before baking I’ll bush the meat muffins with olive oil to keep the meat moist and encourage more browning.

This recipe can also be made with ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning and figs.  I would also experiment with some other soft cheeses, maybe brie, herbs de Provence and raspberries.

We also had a salad of mixed greens, pistachio and apples served in the lovely traveling salad bowl and a bottle of Deadly Zins wine. 

Look closely....the label of this wine is pretty funny and plugs the seven deadly sins…sloth, envy, greed, vanity, wrath, and of course, lust and gluttony…wonder what they’re suggesting?!