Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Balsamic Glaze
A super easy yet nourishing meal that is filling, nutrient-dense, blood sugar friendly, and delicious. Despite only taking 15 minutes of direct preparation, this Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken feels fancy and fun.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-35 minutes
- Total Time: 40-50 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: oven
- Diet: Gluten-Free
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken:
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast - 3 medium is best, but 2 large or 4 small works too - see instructions
1 Tbsp avocado oil
1/2 tsp salt, to preference
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp granulated onion
Fresh cracked black pepper
4 oz goat cheese
For garnish:
Balsamic glaze - for after cooking
Fresh thyme leaves - for after cooking
Asparagus:
1 bunch asparagus, stalky ends removed
1 Tbsp avocado oil
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Prep the asparagus: Wash the asparagus and snap the stalky ends off. Put on a baking sheet and toss in avocado oil, granulated garlic, salt, and pepper. Set aside. You’ll want this on a separate pan from the chicken because it may not cook at the same rate.
- Prep the chicken: For each chicken breast, carefully slice horizontally through the side of the breast to open it up, but don’t cut all the way through. Open it like a book and smear the goat cheese on one side, avoiding the very edge. Close it back together, then drizzle with avocado oil and season both sides with the salt, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and pepper. Put onto a baking sheet and pin closed the edges of each chicken breast with toothpicks for further reinforcement – This helps keep the goat cheese inside.
- Chicken cooking time reference: Three medium chicken breasts will be about 22-28 minutes. Two large chicken breasts will take about 30-35 minutes. And four small would be about 16-20 minutes. In terms of the goat cheese – I find that it stays intact for small or medium chicken breasts since it doesn’t cook quite as long, but if you are using large chicken breasts, then the goat cheese may melt out a bit by the end. If it leaks out, just scoop it back into the chicken after it cools for a few minutes, or scoop it up with the chicken and leave it rogue as a sauce on the plate – it’s just as delicious!
- Asparagus cooking time: I find average-sized asparagus is ready after about 20 minutes. Thicker asparagus may be closer to 25 minutes. Keep in mind the chicken will need to rest for 5 minutes after removing from the oven, so you’ll likely want to put the asparagus in a few minutes after the chicken.
- Cook the chicken and the asparagus until done, using above guidelines for reference. Check with a meat thermometer for best results – it should be 165ºF in the meat. The asparagus will be fork tender and golden on top.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving to preserve juiciness.
- To serve: Put chicken and asparagus on a plate. Drizzle balsamic glaze on top of the chicken and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. Serve with other sides of choice such as salad, toast, rice, etc.
Nutrition
- Calories: 455
- Fat: 21
- Carbohydrates: 7
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 59
