What’s For Dinner?

If you’re stuck on what to make for dinner this week, then we’ve got the perfect recipe for you. You could try Chicken Ballotine which combines a medley of flavours that are sure to impress. Ballotine, derived from the French word for “package,” is a culinary method whereby meat, such as chicken, is stuffed with a variety of ingredients and tied together before cooking. When sliced, it makes for a gorgeous presentation. This version is stuffed with a mushroom, tarragon, and chèvre mixture and served with an Israeli couscous and apricot salad. Despite its name, Israel couscous is actually not a type of couscous, but is in fact a type of toasted pasta. It can usually be found at most grocery stores, but feel free to sub orzo or even rice if you can’t find it in your area.

You can stop by our farm store to pick up some fresh chicken breasts, or place your order online and we will have it all ready for you! Read on for more inspiration as to what to cook for dinner!

Chicken Ballotine

This recipe is easy to prepare, but impressive to serve, this is a great main course for a special dinner!

(Serves 4 people, Prep time is 1 hour and 30 min, and cook time is 35 min.)

Ingredients For the Chicken

4 skin-on chicken breasts

1 lb sliced white mushrooms

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp minced garlic

½ cup fresh tarragon, minced

½ cup goat cheese, softened

salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp olive oil

chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

Apricot Salad Dressing

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon juice

drizzle of honey

1 ½ tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Couscous

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 ⅓ cup dry Israeli couscous

½ tsp kosher salt

1 cup dried apricot, sliced

½ cup slivered almonds, toasted

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

¼ cup chopped fresh chives

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps

Butterfly chicken breasts. Set aside.

Pulse mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat; add butter to melt.

Add mushrooms and sauté 3 minutes.

Add garlic and cook until the liquid released from the mushrooms evaporates. Stir in tarragon.

Remove from heat; add salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool.

Add softened goat cheese and blend well.

Spread 3-4 tbsp of the filling on one side of the butterflied chicken breast.

Close the chicken breast and secure with some twine. Season the stuffed breast with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Heat a large cast-iron or another oven-safe skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat.

Add olive oil. Add chicken to the skillet and cook until browned on all sides, about 3-4 minutes.

Place chicken in a skillet in the oven and bake until cooked through, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C), about 15 minutes.

To make the dressing, whisk the oil, vinegar, honey, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.

Remove chicken from the oven; let cool for 5 minutes and remove twine before slicing.

Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

To make the couscous, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan.

Cook the couscous, stirring frequently, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add 2 cups water and the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the couscous is just tender and the liquid is absorbed, 9 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

When the couscous has cooled add the slivered apricots, toasted almonds, chives, and mint to the couscous.

Add the dressing. Season with salt and pepper and toss until all the ingredients are coated.

To serve, plate the salad alongside the Chicken Ballotine.

We hope you will enjoy this recipe and please let us know how it turned out! We love hearing feedback from our customers on recipes that you have tried. Be sure to stay tuned in for our next blogs that will have more recipes for you to try now that bbq season is just around the corner and the warmer weather is hopefully here to stay!