Couscous and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breast

This is a variant of a recipe that I caught briefly on The Food Network. I can’t recall the show or the exact recipe, but my interpretation of it worked fantastic. It’s not overly difficult to make, but looks impressive and tastes even better.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

2 cups couscous

½ cup feta

3 cloves of chopped garlic, divided

2 ½ cups chicken stock, divided

¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

3 T butter

olive oil

1 cup white wine (preferably a Chardonnay)

Salt and pepper, to season.

Method:

In a large saucepan, heat about 1 T olive oil over medium heat. If you’re using sun dried tomatoes that are stored in oil (my favourite), use this oil instead. Add garlic to the pan and fry for about a minute, then add the chopped sun dried tomatoes. Fry for another minute or so.

Add 2 cups of chicken stock to the pan, let boil and add the couscous. Cover, remove from heat and let stand for about 5-6 minutes, until all the stock is absorbed.

Remove about 1 ½ c of the prepared couscous and mix in the crumbled feta. This will be used to stuff the chicken breasts.

Preheat your oven to 375F. While you’re waiting, use a nice sharp knife to cut a “pouch” in the thick part of the chicken breast, big enough to fit about 2 T of the couscous mixture. Don’t cut all the way through or things will get messier than they need to be. Stuff the chicken breasts with the couscous and feta mixture.

Heat about 2 T of olive oil and 2 T of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Brown the outside of the chicken breasts, but don’t worry about cooking them all the way through- that’s what the oven is for! When the chicken is nicely browned, place them on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven until fully cooked, about 10-15 minutes.

Finally, make a simple pan sauce to serve over the chicken. Add the remaining garlic to the pan and fry for about a minute. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and about ½ c chicken stock and reduce.

Serve the chicken next to a bed of couscous and top with the pan sauce.