I have a confession, I really do enjoy cooking. The more I do it, the more inspired I feel. In the beginning though, I really thought there was NO way I would be able to continue to come up with new things to try but I was SO wrong. It seems to occupy my time even when I don't realize that I am consciously thinking about it. Granted, I do spend a lot of my "free time" watching cooking shows, researching online, and reading magazines and articles about food. I really am finding that I have a passion for doing this and for someone who has always found it hard to say "my hobby is", this is pretty big for me. Not only is it a necessity of life but its fun for me.
That being said, I only have one piece of advice for you; don't be afraid to try something new and don't be afraid to make mistakes. I have definitely made many in the kitchen but thankfully nothing ever major, and it can get discouraging when things don't turn out. However, this can be said for all things in life and not just cooking. I'm finding that my eyes are opening up to many other possibilities in life, even those outside the kitchen. I think my willingness to relinquish some of my "control" and just go with the flow has lead me to adjust my approach to many things in life. Who thought cooking could inspire spiritual growth too, huh?!
So enough of my babbling about my new and latest obsession that is cooking, continued below is my recipe for Stuffed "Taco" Chicken. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
So enough of my babbling about my new and latest obsession that is cooking, continued below is my recipe for Stuffed "Taco" Chicken. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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| Stuffed "Taco" Chicken |
Stuffed “Taco” Chicken
(Each chicken is approximately only 280 calories with 4 grams of fat)
(Each chicken is approximately only 280 calories with 4 grams of fat)
4-8 TBSP pizza sauce
1/2 cup fat free refried beans
3 laughing cow cheese wedges (swiss or soft white cheese) (room temperature)
1/4 cup fat free Mexican cheese assortment (moneterey jack, cheddar, queso & asadero)
16-18 white or yellow corn baked tortilla chips
1 tsp taco seasoning
4 chicken breasts frozen or thawed
1/2 cup fat free refried beans
3 laughing cow cheese wedges (swiss or soft white cheese) (room temperature)
1/4 cup fat free Mexican cheese assortment (moneterey jack, cheddar, queso & asadero)
16-18 white or yellow corn baked tortilla chips
1 tsp taco seasoning
4 chicken breasts frozen or thawed
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| Look at that JUICY chicken breast! |
Topping:
1. Place 16-18 tortilla chips in a freezer bag and crush into fine pieces. Don’t over process, you don’t want sand, but the smaller the pieces the better it will stay on the top of the chicken. Add 1 tsp of taco seasoning to the crushed chips and mix well. Set aside.
1. Place 16-18 tortilla chips in a freezer bag and crush into fine pieces. Don’t over process, you don’t want sand, but the smaller the pieces the better it will stay on the top of the chicken. Add 1 tsp of taco seasoning to the crushed chips and mix well. Set aside.
Stuffing:
1. In a medium sized bowl combine 1/2 cup of refried beans, 3 laughing cow wedges, 1/4 cup Mexican cheese assortment and mix well. Set aside.
1. In a medium sized bowl combine 1/2 cup of refried beans, 3 laughing cow wedges, 1/4 cup Mexican cheese assortment and mix well. Set aside.
Chicken breast:
1. Most conventionally sold chicken breasts are thick and small. We want our pieces to be long and skinny. Not paper-thin but the longer the pieces are the easier it will be to “roll” the chicken with the mixture. Your ideal length is about 2-3 inches wide and 3-4 inches long with a density of 1 inch or less. Using a meat tenderizer work your chicken into roughly this measurements IF your meat doesn’t already meet this requirement. If you happen to have pre-flattened chicken, I would suggest that you still use a meat tenderizer on the meat a few times. Not enough to change the overall consistency but enough to “open” the pores of the meat, which will help to retain the chicken's moisture. After tenderizing, lightly salt and pepper the chicken on the side that you will place your bean/cheese mixture on.
1. Most conventionally sold chicken breasts are thick and small. We want our pieces to be long and skinny. Not paper-thin but the longer the pieces are the easier it will be to “roll” the chicken with the mixture. Your ideal length is about 2-3 inches wide and 3-4 inches long with a density of 1 inch or less. Using a meat tenderizer work your chicken into roughly this measurements IF your meat doesn’t already meet this requirement. If you happen to have pre-flattened chicken, I would suggest that you still use a meat tenderizer on the meat a few times. Not enough to change the overall consistency but enough to “open” the pores of the meat, which will help to retain the chicken's moisture. After tenderizing, lightly salt and pepper the chicken on the side that you will place your bean/cheese mixture on.
Putting it all together.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a cooking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Then place about 1 TBSP of your beans/cheese mixture in the center of your chicken breasts. (roughly distribute the mixture evenly among your breasts).
3. Take the end of your chicken and roll over the mixture until you have completely “rolled” the chicken. Place the chicken breasts side-by-side in the pan placing the “fold” of your chicken on the pan surface or the "bottom". This will help keep the chicken in place and rolled as it cooks.
4. Taking 4-8 TBSP’s of pizza sauce generally cover the top surface of all the chicken breasts, evenly distributing the sauce amongst the four. Top the breast with your seasoned tortilla chips.
5. Cover chicken with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Then remove foil and continue to cook uncovered for a remaining 15 minutes. This allows the topping to get nice and crunchy. Remove from oven, best served warm. Enjoy!
These chicken breasts are surprisingly filling and I didn’t feel the need to pair it with any other dishes, however, a simple serving of any vegetable would also work. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a cooking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Then place about 1 TBSP of your beans/cheese mixture in the center of your chicken breasts. (roughly distribute the mixture evenly among your breasts).
3. Take the end of your chicken and roll over the mixture until you have completely “rolled” the chicken. Place the chicken breasts side-by-side in the pan placing the “fold” of your chicken on the pan surface or the "bottom". This will help keep the chicken in place and rolled as it cooks.
4. Taking 4-8 TBSP’s of pizza sauce generally cover the top surface of all the chicken breasts, evenly distributing the sauce amongst the four. Top the breast with your seasoned tortilla chips.
5. Cover chicken with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Then remove foil and continue to cook uncovered for a remaining 15 minutes. This allows the topping to get nice and crunchy. Remove from oven, best served warm. Enjoy!
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| Fresh out of the oven. They look liked a clumped mess but rest assured they separate easily. |
well...FINALLY you get this up lol I'm definitely going to make some changes because I HATE pizza sauce and ew..beans. However I believe I'm going to try this tomorrow night for dinner =) Thanks B you rock!
ReplyDeleteWell...... you would be surprised at how you don't taste the pizza sauce or beans because of the other ingredients. You could use taco sauce instead of pizza and possibly Greek yogurt instead of beans BUT I haven't really worked much with greek yogurt so can't be 100% sure on it. I can't wait to hear how yours turns out !!!!
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