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The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Infrastructure week. at last.

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Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

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Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Cooking / Friday Recipe Exchange: Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Mushroom Risotto

Friday Recipe Exchange: Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Mushroom Risotto

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jeffrey w goat cheesed stuffed chicken

From our Food Goddess, TaMara:

I’m neck deep in a painting a porch glider before the weekend rains come, so this will be quick tonight. When JeffreyW posted the photo above, I knew I wanted to try the recipe, so it became the featured recipe tonight.

He also posted this delicious recipe this week: Moroccan Spicy Lamb Soup, pictures and recipe here.

And earlier this week, I made one of my favorite pasta dishes, Pasticcio, full dinner menu, recipes and shopping list here.

It’s meager offerings, so spice things up and share some of your favorite recipes in the comments. You know what I’m doing this weekend, what’s on your to-do list? And if I missed a recipe step in my haste, let me know in the comments and I’ll fix it.

For tonight’s featured recipe:

From JeffreyW:

I’m on a chicken recipe spree! At least until I run out of chicken breasts, anyway. This recipe from Emeril Lagasse looked pretty good, with the added bonus of the side dish calling for the truffle oil that rounded out a recent online order I placed a while back and was looking for a place to use.

I didn’t have the proper arborio rice so I used the jasmine variety that I do keep on hand and has worked for me before. Instead of Parmesan I used fresh grated pecorino. The mushrooms were the usual supermarket white buttons, nothing fancy. I think I can take or leave the truffle oil, it not adding any particular enjoyment for me but I’ll wait a while and try it elsewhere before I make up my mind.

The goat cheese filling worked very well, every time I made a cut a little more oozed out and was quickly mopped up. I used a lot more garlic than the recipe wanted.

Adapted from Emeril:

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken
4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3 ounces goat cheese
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons minced chives
1 teaspoon minced parsley leaves
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cajun spice mix or Emeril’s Essence
1 large egg
2 teaspoons water
1/4 cup clarified butter or vegetable oil
Mushroom Risotto, recipe follows, if desired
Julienned carrots, accompaniment, recipe follows
Chopped fresh parsley, garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

With a chicken breast flat on a cutting board, using a sharp knife, about 1/3 of the way down the thick side, cut a deep pocket horizontally into the center of the meat about 3/4 of the way down, being careful not to cut through to the other side. (The pocket will be about 2 1/2 inches long and 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep.) Repeat with the remaining breasts. Wash hands well.

In a small bowl, mash together the goat cheese, butter, chives, parsley, thyme, lemon juice and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Divide into 4 equal pieces and form plugs to fit inside the chicken breasts. Insert 1 into each breast and press the edges of chicken meat to seal. Lightly season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a large shallow bowl, combine the flour and the Essence. In another bowl, beat the egg with the water.

One at a time, lightly dust the chicken on both sides with the flour, then dip in the egg, shaking to remove any excess. Place again in the flour and turn to completely coat, shaking to remove any excess. Set aside.

In a large, oven-proof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Arrange the risotto in the center of 4 plates and place the chicken to the side. Arrange the carrots along the bottom of the plates, and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

Mushroom Risotto
5 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
12 ounces assorted mushrooms washed, thinly sliced,
2 cups arborio rice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup fresh grated pecorino.
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 to 2 teaspoons truffle oil, optional
4 ounces prosciutto or Serrano ham, thinly sliced

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to very low to keep hot.

In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil and melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring until fragrant and soft, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until wilted and their liquid is evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains are opaque, about 1 minute. Stir in the thyme. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until nearly all evaporated. Add 3/4 cup of the stock, the salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the stock is nearly all evaporated. Continue adding more stock 1/2 cup at a time as the previous addition is nearly absorbed, until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy, 18 to 20 minutes. Stir in cream, 1/2 cup of the cheese, and the parsley and mix well.

Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste. If desired, stir in truffle oil to taste.

Serve immediately, topping each portion with a sprinkling of the remaining cheese and ham.

Reader Interactions

43Comments

  1. 1.

    Tommy

    I have no idea what I’ll have for dinner, but looking at that above pic, I am getting hungry.

    On a side note, putting in my garden this weekend. I can’t wait.

  5. 5.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @schrodinger’s cat: For whatever reason, goat cheese is about the only cheese I do not like. Oddly, I don’t mind actual goat meat, so I know it isn’t the goatyness of it.

  7. 7.

    Tommy

    @Omnes Omnibus: I’ve never liked goat. I use to head to this middle eastern restaurant in DC. You sat on the floor. One dish for everybody and you just all ate from it with your hands. A fun dinning experience. Goat was one of the dishes and I could just never get used to.

  15. 15.

    tsquared2001

    @TaMara (BHF): Earlier today, I was reading about how the rest of the world thinks of Americans as some serious cheese lovers and then I jump into Balloon Juice and what do I find? A cheese discussion.

  17. 17.

    Tommy

    @tsquared2001: Somebody thinks Americans are serious cheese lovers? I find that a little strange. When I moved to DC there was an amazing cheese vendor at Eastern Market and I have to admit I was stunned how little I knew about cheese, and I am something of a foodie.

  19. 19.

    tsquared2001

    @Tommy: Lovers in the sense they think Americans put cheese on everything. I actually got sucked into a link from Gin and Tacos No Politics Friday posting.

  22. 22.

    Tommy

    @tsquared2001: Oh I can see that. It is about a 90 mile round trip for me to get to a Whole Foods or a Fresh Fields. But I have all the huge national chains. I often find myself walking by the cheese section hoping some “good” cheese with magically appear, and it never does.

  24. 24.

    NotMax

    If it ain’t arborio (or similar short grain rice) it ain’t risotto, it’s a creamy pilaf.

    @schrodinger’s cat

    Ricotta. Taste of finished dish will differ (no earthiness as from the goat cheese), but otherwise substitutes well.

    If using feta, rinse and re-rinse to get rid of the saltiness. French feta will work better than Greek type.

    @Tommy

    Trivia: #1 most consumed meat on the planet? Goat.

  27. 27.

    Steeplejack

    Just turned on Hannibal and realized that Hannibal Lector is being played by Mads Mikkelsen, currently costaring (retroactively) in the Danish series Unit One, which I am following on Eurotrash micro-network MHz. Go figure.

  30. 30.

    Mnemosyne

    @NotMax:

    If you’re impoverished, the goat is a magical animal: you can get milk from it (which you can make into cheese), you can shear it and spin the fur into yarn, and you can eat it.

  31. 31.

    Steeplejack

    @Tommy:

    Yeah, I looked him up on IMDB, and he played the villain in Casino Royale a few years ago. Also was in a good Danish World War II movie called Flame and Citron, which I saw on cable a couple of years ago but had forgotten who was in it.

    Anyway, it’s just interesting to see actors pop up unexpectedly.

  32. 32.

    NotMax

    @Mnemosyne

    Unique smell still encountered here while driving through some neighborhoods (usually on weekends) when families burn the hair off a goat carcass in their driveway with a propane torch in advance of parties.

    @Little Boots

    Rice music.

  33. 33.

    Steeplejack

    @Tommy:

    Yeah, I looked him up on IMDB, and he played the villain in Casino Royale a few years ago. Also was in a good Danish World War II movie called Flame and Citron, which I saw on cable a couple of years ago but had forgotten who was in it.

    Anyway, it’s just interesting to see actors pop up unexpectedly.

    ETA: Damn you, WordPress!

  34. 34.

    Schlemizel

    @Mnemosyne:
    I love goat, it is even better than lamb in my opinion. Both have the problem that the older it gets the stronger the flavor but to me the really young stuff does not have enough flavor so its sort of a crap shoot. We have a large enough immigrant community here now that there are places that sell goat and since meat is back on the menu again We have bought it twice. They also have camel and some day I am going to try that.

  35. 35.

    Tommy

    @Mnemosyne: It is a magical animal isn’t it. I am a huge fan of the show No Reservations and as Anthony travels the world I am stunned how so many things other people depend on to live most Americans have no knowledge of.

    For example I like a lot of different organs and I am always stunned that in most parts of the world they are the most prized part of the animal yet most people I know think I am crazy when I talk about eating those parts.

  36. 36.

    NotMax

    @Tommy

    The only reason I occasionally go into IHOP is because they always have liver and onions on the menu.

    Prefer the way I prepare it at home, but it is a hit or miss proposition finding it in the supermarket.

  37. 37.

    Tommy

    @NotMax: I was at Easter dinner and talking to my brother’s wife’s family. I forgot how we got on the topic, but I mentioned when I lived in Southern Louisiana I used to eat gator. They looked at me like I had a third hand growing out of my forehead. I tried to explain that in some parts of this nation (and the world in general) when you kill an animal for its hide, you also use all of the animal. Waste just isn’t an option. They honestly seemed kind of confused by this. I tried to go on that in some parts of Cajun country it is like you are in another nation, but assumed they wouldn’t be that interested.

  38. 38.

    Violet

    I made chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese and some homemade apricot jam that I was given. I think I might have added some rosemary into the mis but I can’t remember now. Wrapped them with bacon. Very good.

  39. 39.

    Bubblegum Tate

    Hey, I just made mushroom risotto for dinner. And that’s it. A nice big bowl of mushroom risotto made with homemade beef stock. Finish with some black garlic salt and some parsley, and blammo.

  41. 41.

    Anne Laurie

    @Mnemosyne: Also, goats are extremely unfussy eaters — thorny shrubs, tree leaves, woody herbs, tough weeds from highway verges — all the stuff that fancy quadrupeds won’t touch. Which makes them a blessing to poor peasants in ‘marginal’ areas (like megacity slums)… and, of course, a curse to the ecology of a thousand island biota where sailors dumped goats for future expeditions to dine on…

  42. 42.

    Anne Laurie

    @Tommy: “Offal”, or more politely organ meats, are usually a big stinky mess to prepare & cook, at least when compared to a steak, prepackaged chicken breast, or hamburger. I love liver & onions, and adore chopped chicken liver, but I’m waaaay too lazy to go to the trouble of learning to cook them myself. The Spousal Unit fondly remembers his mother’s sweetbreads from his early childhood, but she was adamant about never cooking them again once the family business prospered & she no longer had to “settle for stuff the butcher would almost give away”.

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