Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast w/ Smokey Chickpeas (memories of Spain)

Here is another healthy meal with a lot of flavor. The stewed chickpeas with smokey paprika remind me of my student days in Spain. I like to serve this dish with a simple salad and a glass of red wine. In this recipe I added some chopped Kalamata olives for some saltiness but you can add whatever you like, such as sun-dried tomatoes, sage and raisins, a different soft cheese with an assortment of herbs, garlic and onions.

Ingredients: (2 servings)

2 sm. Chicken Breasts

2 oz. Goat Cheese (I chose one with lemon and herbs)

1 T Tomato Paste

4 Kalamata Olives, chopped

2 Carrots, cleaned and diced

1/2 Red Onion, diced

1T Smoked Paprika

4 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 sm. can Diced Tomatoes

1 sm. can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed

1 Roasted Red Pepper, chopped

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350. Have a large enough dutch oven to put the chicken and the garbanzo beans in together.

Have all of your ingredients ready. Chop all of your vegetables and open the diced tomatoes, rinse and drain the garbanzo beans.

Combine the goat cheese with the chopped Kalamata olives in a bowl. Make a cut into each Chicken breast with a long slender knife(boning knife works best) to form a pocket. Now stuff half of the goat cheese mixture into each breast.

Set the dutch oven over medium heat and add about 1T of olive oil in the bottom. Season the chicken breast with a little salt on each side. When the oil is very hot, sear the chicken on both sides.

When browned on both sides, remove from the pan and place on a plate. Now add another tablespoon of olive oil and begin to saute the carrots and onion. When they are soft, add the copped garlic and saute for 1 minute. Next add the roasted red pepper and tomato paste. Stir and add the garbanzo beans, tomatoes and the smoked paprika. You may need a little water, stir everything together, place the chicken breasts on top, cover the pot and put it into the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes. After plating you may want to add some chopped parsley. Serve with a simple side salad and enjoy.