Pecan crusted chicken
breast stuffed with roasted
butternut squash and goats cheese
served with a white wine and
pancetta cream sauce
This is a great recipe for autumn and winter, I love the combination of
butternut squash, pecans and creamy goats cheese - the rich
creamy sauce is perfect for warming up a cold night. The recipe uses
chopped pecans rather than breadcrumbs for the coating which
creates a great flavor while also dramatically reducing the amount of
carbohydrate in the recipe.
Ingredients - serves 4:
For the stuffed chicken
4 chicken breasts
170g butternut squash (peeled and diced)
1 tbsp freshly chopped thyme
100g soft goats cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
250g toasted pecans, finely chopped
3 free range eggs, beaten
50ml olive oil
For the sauce
¼ white onion (finely diced)
4 slices of pancetta or smoked streaky bacon, chopped
1 tsp freshly chopped thyme
1 clove garlic, crushed
180 ml double cream
120 ml dry white wine
4 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
Method:
1. Pre heat the oven to 380F/180c.
2. Place the butternut squash onto a
baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and
season with salt and pepper. Place into
the oven to bake until cooked through and
starting to turn golden brown; this should
take approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Using a small knife, make an incision
into the side of each chicken breast. Move
the knife around horizontally inside the
breast to create a pocket for the filling. Try
to keep the incision no wider than an inch
in length to keep the filling from spilling out
when cooking.
4. Fill each breast with equal amounts of
goats cheese and butternut squash by
pushing them through the incision. Close
the incision with a cocktail skewer. Save
some roasted butternut squash to garnish
the tops of the chicken breasts when they
are cooked.
5. Sprinkle each filled breast with the
chopped thyme and season generously
with sea salt and black pepper.
6. To prepare the pecans take whole
pecans and pulse them in a food
processor until they resemble course
breadcrumbs.
7. Beat the eggs with ¼ tsp of salt (which
helps to break down the egg making it
easier to dip the chicken in) and place the
chopped pecans into a bowl. Then dip
each cutlet into the egg mixture and then
the pecans and make sure they are well
coated.
8. Place the chicken breasts onto a tray
drizzled with olive oil and then drizzle each
breast generously with more olive oil and
season once more. Place into the oven
and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden
brown.
9. To make the sauce start by sautéing the
pancetta or bacon until crispy and then
add the onions and cook through until
softened. At this point add the garlic and
thyme and continue to cook for another
minute to release the flavors.
10. Add the white wine and cook for 3 to 5
minutes until almost all of the wine has
evaporated. Then add the cream,
parmesan and seasoning. Continue to
simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes until the
sauce has thickened.
11. To serve, place each chicken breast
onto a serving plate (don’t forget to
remove the cocktail skewer) and spoon
over the sauce. Top with some of the
remaining butternut squash and some
roughly chopped pecans and a sprinkle of
parsley.
Diet & Health Today
20