Another recipe from the amazingly prolific Tieghan Gerard at Half-Baked Harvest. (How is this girl so impossibly thin?) What I love about this dish is how quickly you put it together versus how rich and complex the flavor is. You could spend 10 minutes early in the day preparing the chicken and chopping the onion and peppers, and then pop it in the oven half an hour before dinner.
Chicken breasts are sliced and filled with a bit of cream cheese and pepperjack, then folded back up and rubbed with a spice mixture. Placed in a skillet or baking dish and surrounded by onions, poblano peppers and covered with a jar of salsa verde. You will need rice to soak up the flavorful, cheesy sauce. If your breasts are big like mine were (CHICKEN BREASTS!) you will need to cook this longer than 25 minutes for sure. Which will actually be better for the onions and peppers.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 slices pepperjack cheese
2 poblano peppers, sliced
1 yellow onion, chopped or sliced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 jar salsa verde
fresh cilantro and limes for serving
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice the chicken through the middle horizontally to within a 1/2 inch of the other side. Open the 2 sides and spread them out like an open book. Spread the cream cheese on 1 side of the chicken, then add the pepperjack and a few poblano pepper slices. Fold the other side of the chicken over the peppers/cheese like a book to enclose the filling. Place the chicken in a skillet or baking dish. Rub with olive oil.
In a small bowl combine the chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Rub the seasonings all over the chicken.
Sprinkle the remaining poblano peppers and onions around the chicken. Drizzle everything with olive oil, then pour over the salsa verde. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with fresh cilantro and limes. Serves 4.
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