Simple Supper Monday - Volume 40: Goat Cheese and Red Pepper Jelly Chicken

Happy New Year, Friends!

I am looking forward to a whole new year of recipes, especially Simple Supper recipes. With a busy Hubby and an energetic 17-month old, I need SIMPLE recipes.

So, first, I will do a quick New Years Shout Out:

I NEED YOUR RECIPES!

Whether they are boring traditional or adventurous exotic, write it up and send it to me. I want to try out more new recipes and post them for the rest of the community!

There. I'm glad I got that out of my system.

One of the goals I have this year is to create new recipes. You, my friends, are lucky enough to stumble upon a Steph Original today. Yep. I tried concocting something. And it didn't turn out half bad.

I was inspired by an episode of Barefoot Contessa, wherein Ina Garten combined two of my favorite things: Chicken and Goat Cheese. As I salivated during the show, some ideas popped into my head on how to add some more to the recipe. Below, you can check it out.

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Simple Supper Mondays

Goat Cheese and Red Pepper Jelly Chicken

• 2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 jar of Red Pepper Jelly (I used a local variety, Chile Spot's Sweet Red Pepper Jalapeno Jam)
• 3-6 fresh Basil Leaves
• 1 log of Goat Cheese (I used Chevre), cut into 1/2 slices
• Pepper and Salt to season

1) Salt and Pepper both sides of Chicken Breasts. Cut a horizontal slit into each chicken breast to form a pocket.

2) Place 1-2 slices of goat cheese in each pocket. Top with 1-2 TBLS of Pepper Jelly. Over Pepper Jelly, place 1-2 Basil Leaves. Close pocket shut.

3) Top each piece of chicken with 1 additional TBLS Pepper Jelly. Place Chicken Breasts on a baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray (or a bit of olive oil).

4) Bake Chicken Breasts at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Notes:

• I made a marinade out of some of the Pepper Jelly, and marinated the chicken breasts for a few hours before baking. To make the marinade: take 1/4 cup of Pepper Jelly (approximately half the jar) and heat it in a small pot until it liquifies. Place chicken breasts in a ziplock bag. Pour marinade over the chicken. Keep refrigerated, turning occasionally, until you are ready to cook.

• Instead of baking for 40 minutes in an open oven, I made small packets out of tin foil, and wrapped each chicken breast in it's own little packet. It took longer than 40 minutes to bake, but the tin foil helps the chicken to retain it's moisture. And, as the chicken cooked, the juices were caught in the foil, and made a nice sauce to serve over the chicken!

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

Whew! My first mostly made-from-scratch recipe! If you try this out, PLEASE let me know what you think. I'd be excited to hear how it turns out for you (or what adjustments you'd make)!

Have a great week! Check in regularly for more posts!