California Chicken

1. Prepare goat cheese filling 2. Prepare tomato concasse/salsa 3. Prepare the chicken breasts 4. Make the salad

This recipe is for three (3) servings. Double it for 6, it makes great leftovers.

Filling for chicken:

• 1/2 log of plain goat cheese at room temperature.

• 1 cup of herbs finely chopped including any combination of; cilantro, mint, basil, rosemary, parsley, arugula. Put half of the chopped herbs aside to add to tomato concasse.

  • Note: measure 1 cup of herbs, then finely chop, but feel free to add more if you like.

  • Note: concasse is the French way of saying peeled and seeded tomatoes.

• 1/2 tsp finely chopped and seeded jalapeño, about 1/3 of a medium jalapeño. The remaining jalapeño will go into the salsa.

Tomato concasse/salsa - prepare all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside until chicken is cooked:

• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

• 1/2 cup of the remaining herbs from step one above

• 2/3 of the remaining jalapeño, seeded and diced

• 1 Tbl fresh lime juice

• 1 tsp good extra virgin olive oil

• pinch of kosher salt (Mortons) and pepper

Preparing the chicken breasts:

• 3 chicken breasts, boned, but skin on. The goat cheese will go under the skin.

  • Note: Ask you butcher to debone the chicken breast, leaving the skin in tact.

• 2 Tbl olive oil

• 2 Tbl butter

• Salt and pepper to lightly season

• To fill the chicken, gently pull the skin away from the meat and put 1/3 of the cheese mixture under the skin. Spread it out so that it covers as much meat as possible.

• Use all of the cheese mixture.

Cooking the chicken - The chicken will go from the skillet into the oven:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

• Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat.

• Add butter and olive oil to skillet. When hot, add chicken breasts, skin side down.

  • Note: you want to get the skin side seared as quickly as possible so all the cheese does not ooze out.

• After about 5 minutes, the chicken skin should be nice and golden. Lower the heat to medium and turn the breasts over to let the other side cook, another 5 minutes.

• Turn the heat off. Before placing the skillet in the oven, capture the drippings from the chicken into a Heat resistant measuring cup. This will form the base of the vinaigrette. You need about 1/2 cup of drippings.

• Place the skillet with the chicken in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees.

Prepare the salad:

• 2 Tbl lime juice. Add to a heat resistant measuring cup. This can be done before adding the drippings, so that when you add the drippings, you can measure the final vinaigrette.

• Add drippings from the skillet with the chicken To the lime juice in the measuring cup. The drippings and lime juice should measure at least 1/2 cup, or as much as 2/3 cup (if you like a wet salad), together. Any more than this will yield a soggy salad.

  • Note: the addition of the drippings to the vinaigrette is what make this entire dish work together so wonderfully.

• Mix well with a whisk until dressing is emulsified.

• 7 - 8 oz of prepared lettuce, equivalent to: 1 head of butter lettuce, 1/2 romaine, or 1 package of a favorite lettuce mix.

  • Note: Using a mixture of different lettuces will give you a beautiful bed to place the chicken on. I love arugula, butter lettuce, radicchio, or a spring mix.

• Dress the salad in a bowl, toss and serve on the dinner plates before placing the chicken on top.

Plating the dish:

• Place the cooked and finished chicken, skin side up onto the bed of lettuce.

• Place the tomato concasse/salsa on top of the chicken allowing some to drizzle onto the lettuce.

• This dish can be served hot, right out of the oven, or in the summer, let it cool and serve at room temperature.

Serve with a toasted crusty bread to ensure you enjoy all the wonderful juices from the salsa, the salad and the chicken.