Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Garlic

I hate doing laundry.

I know I'm not alone here.  It's really a pain.  I live in an apartment-style building, with three other units, so we all share the same laundry room.  It's just one little room right outside our building, with one little washing machine, and one little dryer.  And they require quarters.  UGH, the quarters!!  I cannot count the number of times I've gotten the dirty laundry sorted and ready to take to the washing machine, only to realize there are NO quarters.  *sigh*

But even worse than the weekly laundry chore is when I wash the blankets.  Our bed comforter and the other blankets in our linen cabinet are too big and bulky to fit in our washer here, so I have to lug it all over to the laundromat, where I hate going.  I hate sitting there and waiting...and waiting...and waiting.  But, luckily enough, there is a small kitchen supply store next door for me to kill some time, and last time when I went, I was delighted to find a small clearance table outside the store.  There wasn't too much on the little table, but UNDER the table...there was a box.  With free magazines!  They were old issues of various food magazines, so I happily grabbed a couple to use as reading material while waiting for my laundry.

One of the issues I grabbed was a September 2003 issue of Cooking Light.  I was actually a little unfamiliar with this magazine, but any magazine that focuses on healthy, delicious meals is a winner to me (not to mention the cover photo was banana bread...*drool*).  In it, I found many recipes that will now be filling my weekly dinner plans in the near future.  One of those recipes was Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Garlic.  It sounded just like my type of dish.  A good serving of chicken, tomato based sauce, cheese, and fresh herbs, all over a bed of pasta.

This was a really simple dish.  It didn't take long to prepare at all!  The spiral cuts of the stuffed chicken make a great presentation, so it would be a great meal to make for company.  This recipe will definitely be going into my list of dishes to make again!

I'd never thought I'd say this...but I'm sure glad I went to the laundromat that day. :)

Chicken Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Garlic
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Recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light magazine - Sept 2003 issue
Yield:  4 servings

Ingredients:
4 ounces goat cheese, softened
3 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil, divided
1 Tbsp minced garlic
4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 (25.5 ounce) jar Italian herb pasta sauce
3 whole garlic cloves
3 cups hot cooked fettuccine or spaghetti (or whatever type of pasta you prefer)

Directions:
Combine goat cheese, 2 Tbsp basil, and minced garlic.  Set aside.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each half to a 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.  Divide the cheese mixture evenly among breast halves.  Roll up jelly-roll fashion.  Tuck in sides; secure each roll with wooden picks or tie each roll with kitchen string.

Heat the pasta sauce and whole garlic cloves in a large skillet over medium heat; add chicken.  Cover and cook 25 minutes or until chicken is done (using a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should be 160 degrees).  Remove pan from heat.  Let chicken rest for 5-10 minutes.  Remove picks or string, and slice chicken roll into medallions.  Serve chicken over bed of pasta.  Garnish with extra sauce and 1 Tbsp basil.