Chicken breasts with cottage cheese stuffing

Buy large chicken breasts on the bone for this recipe. Carefully lift the skin and remove the bone so you’re left with a large piece of skin to fold over the stuffing. Remember to remove the cocktail sticks before serving.

Serves 4-6.

INGREDIENTS:

8 large chicken breasts (see above);

salt and freshly ground black pepper;

juice and rind of 2 large lemons;

30 ml (2 T) olive oil;

30 ml (2 T) butter;

60 ml (¼ c) chopped chives;

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped;

125 g bacon, chopped;

250 g crumbly cottage cheese;

extra olive oil

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 200 deg C. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and the juice and rind of 1 lemon. Heat the oil and butter and fry the chives, garlic and bacon until the bacon is crisp and done. Season with salt and pepper and leave the mixture to cool. Add the cottage cheese and mix.

Lift the skin of each breast on one side and remove the bone. Divide the stuffing among the breasts, spooning it onto the meat under the skin. Pull the skin over the stuffing and secure with a cocktail stick.

Arrange the chicken breasts in an ovenproof dish and drizzle with olive oil and the juice and rind of the remaining lemon. Bake the chicken for 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 180 deg C and bake for another 30 minutes or until done. Serve with boiled potatoes and red spinach.

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