Breaded Chicken Breasts with Goat Cheese and Thyme Filling

This chicken is so tasty, easy to make, and would impress just about anyone.  This would be a great dish to serve to out-of-town guests over the holidays.  It can be made a day ahead of time, refrigerated, and then baked the day of.  It can also be made more simple by using store bought bread crumbs rather than making your own.  

You might also like this Almond-Stuffed Chicken (it's my personal favorite).

Breaded Chicken Breasts with Goat Cheese and Thyme Filling

Source: Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, tenderloins removed

salt and ground black pepper

cheese filling (see recipe below)

4-5 slices white sandwich bread, torn into large pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place half of the bread in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.  Repeat with the remaining bread.  Toss the bread crumbs with the oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and spread on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake, stirring occasionally, until the crumbs are golden brown and dry, about 25 minutes.  Transfer to a shallow dish and let cool completely.

Butterfly each chicken breast by slicing it lengthwise almost in half (starting on the thinnest side) and then opening it to opening it to create a single cutlet.  Place each cutlet between sheets of plastic wrap and pound until the cutlets are about 1/4-inch thick.  Place about 2 tablespoons of the cheese filling in the center of the tapered half of each chicken breast.  Roll the chicken tightly over the filling to completely enclose it and form a cylinder.  Press the seam and seal.  Repeat with the remaining chicken and filling.  Refrigerate the chicken, seam side down and uncovered, for 1 hour to allow the edges to seal further.

Combine the flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a shallow dish and whisk the eggs and Dijon together in a second shallow dish.  Working with 1 chicken breast at a time, dredge the flour, then coat with the egg mixture and finally coat with the bread crumbs you made earlier, pressing gently to adhere the crumbs.

The breaded chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.  When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the chicken on a wire rack set over a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until fully cooked (and instant read thermometer should register 160 F), about 40-45 minutes.  Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Goat Cheese and Thyme Filling

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves

1 small garlic clove, minced

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 ounces goat cheese, softened

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix until uniform.