What to do with two packages of chicken breasts? After looking in my refrigerator I decided to combine several ingredients for a casserole. Because I seem to make salad after salad for dinner I thought I would shake it up this evening and make a tossed dessert salad. Strange? Maybe...
First, I cut the large pieces of breast into halves after pounding them to an even thickness.
after pounding the breast sections they were set aside
one pound of fresh spinach was blanched in boiling water for one minute, then drained & cooled
While the spinach cooled, other ingredients for the stuffing are prepped:
in a mini food processor, I chopped 1/4 cup pinon nuts and 1/4 cup pecans
after chopping the nuts have an "oatmeal-like" consistency
2 cloves garlic were chopped
this poblano chili was seeded, chopped, and one-half was added to mixture
once the spinach is cool, squeeze the moisture out in small batches
once the moisture is removed, these parcels of spinach
are roughly chopped
garlic, spinach, poblano chili, nut mixture are blended together
spoon stuffing mixture onto each chicken section
one slice of bacon is rolled around the stuffed breast
a mixture of sour cream, hummus, and goat cheese was combined
the creamy mixture was spooned on top of each breast, then smoked paprika was sprinkled over the top
The breasts were baked for 1 hour 45 minutes at 325 degrees.
finished casserole-yum!
The chicken could be served over rice or is a stand-alone dish. I served the chicken with sauteed mushrooms and scallions.
Dessert: tossed salad with fruit
Weird? Probably. I have to say it was very good! The family gave it a thumbs-up!
Dressing:
2 T balsamic vinegar
3 T oil (I used a combination of walnut & hazelnut oils)
mashed blueberries & strawberries
1/2 tsp chili powder
zest from one orange
2 T fresh squeezed orange juice
Emulsify ingredients in a small closed container. Toss on salad greens immediately prior to serving
Yum!
The salad was tart and tangy.
I could easily have served this with the meal, but it was fun to
serve something different & surprising for dessert.
Balsamic vinegar and strawberries is always a good combo in my book.
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