I do not make stuffed chicken breasts all that often but with the recent success of the spinach and feta stuffed chicken I looking forward to trying again and I had the perfect recipe in mind. I recently came across this recipe for a roasted red pepper, pistachio and feta stuffed chicken by Peter of Kalofagas that sounded so amazingly good that I just had to try it. The chicken is stuffed with so many of my favorite flavours including the roasted red peppers, the feta and the pistachios. I would not have thought to stuff chicken with pistachios but as soon as I heard it I knew that it was a brilliant idea. Even with the chicken already packed with flavour the good things don’t stop there with the sauce being just as tasty. The sauce starts by deglazing the pan to get all of the brown bits of flavour after cooking the chicken. From there the sauce is thickened with Greek yogurt and flavoured with yet more feta. One of my new favorite Greek ingredient, a touch of mastic in the form of a splash of mastic liqueur is used to finish the sauce off.
I think I am starting to get the hang of the technique for cooking stuffed chicken as these ones turned out just as well as the last ones. They held together through the cooking and most of the stuffing was still in them by the end. The roasted red pepper, pistachio and feta stuffed chicken turned out amazingly well! The stuffed chicken was so good! I was a little surprised by how well the pistachio and feta worked as a filling and the combo played nicely with the sweet roasted red peppers. I also really liked how the Greek yogurt thickened the pan sauce and the hint of mastic was just perfect. Despite all of the wonderful flavours in this dish so far, the one that really put it over the edge had to be the smoked paprika whose smokiness really brought it home! I served the stuffed chicken on a bed of saffron brown rice.
Roasted Red Pepper, Pistachio and Feta Stuffed Chicken
ingredients
- 1/4 cup feta (mashed)
- 1/2 cup pistachios (coarsely ground)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts (1 pound) (butterflied and pounded thin)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 4 roasted red peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 2 cloves garlic (grated)
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup feta (mashed)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon thyme (chopped)
- 1/2 ounce mastic liqueur (or a crushed drop of mastic or a drop or mastic essence)
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Mix the feta, pistachios and olive oil until they form a thick paste.
- Lay the chicken breasts out and season them with the smoked paprika and top them with the roasted red peppers followed by the pistachio mixture. Roll up the chicken around the filling and tie it up or secure it with toothpicks.
- Season the chicken with season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the chicken, brown on all sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.
- Place the chicken in a baking dish and bake in a 350F/180C oven until it reaches 180F, about 30 minutes.
- Add the wine to the pan that you browned the chicken in and deglaze it.
- Add the chicken stock and garlic and bring to a boil.
- Simmer to reduce by half.
- Add the yogurt, feta, lemon zest, thyme, mastic liqueur and season with salt and pepper.
- Simmer for a few minutes and remove from heat.
I'm so totally making this.. How'd you do the brown rice though??
Kevin, I've made the dish a few times and each time it was a hit. Glad you enjoyed it (loved it) and thank you once again!
Fabulous dish! I love stuffing chicken but never added the sweet touch of pistachio! Going to have to make this one!
Nice one Kevin! I've had fun lately with stuffed pork tenderloins (greek pork pinwheels and boursin/pesto stuffed tenderloins).
Chicken? Watch out, I'm coming for ya with a stuffing! 😉
Great stuffing. You should try and get a hold of some Bulgarian Feta.It's good stuff
Nothing bland about your food, is there Kevin!!! This meal really packs a punch!!!
This sounds like an incredible way to prepare chicken!!!!
Looks fantastic. I have the hardest time when I try to stuff chicken.
Wow. This looks fabulous!
That chicken dish is droolworthy! What gorgeous flavors, yummy!
cheers,
Rosa
Looks great, Kevin! I bet the chickens are lining up in the store to be chosen by you 😉
I've seen pistachios on chicken. Over chicken. But not IN chicken.
Looks like a fabulous stuffing though. I definitely need to try it. That feta sauce sounds delicious.
Glad you are getting the hang of stuffed chicken breasts – they are such a great and relatively easy way to impres dinner guests 🙂 Love this combo – and the yoghurt-thickened pan sauce. Inspired!
I like the idea of the yogurt to make the sauce. I will have to try that!
That's a deliciously mouth-watering platter which looks too appealing to say No:)
I'm drooling at the click!!
Taste of Saras Kitchen
http://bsaraswathy.blogspot.com
I love stuffed chicken, It doesn't matter what the stuffing is, but this one is really mouthwatering, from the title to the pictures this recipe is a winner.
Terrific idea to include pistachios in the stuffing, and the sauce looks delicious too!
I have tried this dish of Peter's and I agree that it is delicious kevin. If you have the mastic it is fun to add:D
Que pinta tiene tu plato. Estupenda combinación y receta. Un saludo
missy b.: For the saffron brown rice:
1. Steep a pinch of saffron threads in 1 cup hot water for 5 minutes.
2. Bring the rice, the saffron water along with another 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a sauce pan, reduce the heat and simmer, covered until tender, about 40-50 minutes.
I recently cooked pistachio & herb stuffed chicken breasts after we ate in a Turkish restaurant. This sounds and looks even better!
I am so excited to try this recipe! With all of the delicious recipes I'm going to have to go out and stock up on chicken. I want to try them all right away!
Thanks for this great recipe. My "adapted" version was a little weird so next time I'll be sticking to your recipe exactly! Keep on cooking good stuff! http://foodiewannabe.typepad.com/foodie-wannabe/2010/04/roasted-red-pepper-stuffed-chicken.html
I'm a big chicken and roasted pepper fan so I guess I have no choice but to try this delicious recipe!
I can't wait to make this one! I am so excited. I really should! It really looks so delicious.
I have never had a recipe source that was as reliably great as you, Kevin