stuffed chicken breasts with artichoke hearts & goat cheese from cookinglight.com

We loved this recipe form cookinglight.com and made adjustments to the recipe to include artichokes in water. Stuff everyday chicken breasts with goat cheese and artichokes for a sophisticated dinnertime favorite that’s both easy and elegant.

Jeanne Thiel Kelley, Cooking Light
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 2 tablespoons sauce)

ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 6.5 oz. jar artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup minced shallots (about 3)
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled goat or feta cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence or thyme, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 4 (4 ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• Lemon rind strips (optional)

directions:

1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add artichokes and shallots; sauté 4 minutes. Remove from pan; cool. Stir in cheese, 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
2. Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each breast half to form a pocket. Stuff 2 tablespoons artichoke mixture into each pocket.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; sauté 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm. Add 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence and broth to pan; bring to a boil. Combine juice and cornstarch; add to broth mixture, stirring with a whisk.
4. Cook 1 minute or until thick. Return chicken to pan; cover and cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with parsley and lemon strips, if desired.

nutritional information:

Calories: 194 (25% from fat)
Fat: 5.3g (sat 1.8g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.6g)
Protein: 29.2g
Carbohydrate: 6.2g
Fiber: 0.4g
Cholesterol: 72mg
Iron: 1.4mg
Sodium: 437mg
Calcium: 61mg