Treat yourself to a fancy French-inspired dinner tonight… at home! Basil and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken over Herbed Orzo brings fine dining right into your kitchen.
Why is Basil and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken over Herbed Orzo the book-inspired recipe for The Alchemy of Flowers?
The Alchemy of Flowers made it pretty easy for me to pick a book-inspired recipe. This novel is a foodie fiction delight, and the only problem was picking which recipe to make.
The characters in the book take turns cooking for each other in their magical garden, and I decided to recreate the dinner that main character Eloise serves on her first night.
The meal is described in the book as “sautéed chicken stuffed with basil, goat cheese, and toasted almonds in a citrus wine sauce on a bed of herbed orzo.”
This is pretty much what I’m bringing you with my Basil and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken over Herbed Orzo.
This sounds like a complex recipe. Is it difficult to make?
I get it. Anytime there are too many words in a recipe title, you’re like Yeeeks, that sounds complicated. Maybe I’ll skip this one.
Please do NOT skip making this meal. Yes, there are a lot of words in that sentence. And there are a lot of ingredients in this recipe. But actually cooking this meal is pretty darn easy.
And, keep in mind that this recipe allows you to easily multi-task. You can make the orzo while the chicken cooks.
Just follow the steps I’ve laid out below and you’ll be set.
What I love about Basil and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken over Herbed Orzo
The citrus flavors in the stuffed chicken is really what make the dish pop.
I use two different kinds of citrus – orange and lemon – to create a unique flavor for the goat cheese filling. Orange and lemon also go into citrus au jus sauce that you pour over everything.
The filling is just so tasty. It’s creamy and cooling, herby and zesty. I also love the toasted almonds in there for some crunch and nuttiness.
Sandwiched into between the layers of juicy chicken, the basil goat cheese is a total win.
And, let’s not forget the Herbed Orzo. Which is a pasta. Which means it’s awesome.
Orzo is little rice-shaped pasta, and this version if full of chopped fresh herbs and a bit of lemon zest to make it sing. It’s great for soaking up the quick citrus au jus sauce that I made by adding orange and lemon juice to the leftover chicken drippings in the skillet.
Overall, this dish looks pretty impressive, like you’re being served a meal at a fancy restaurant.
If you listened to my guest podcast episode over on The Kettle, you know that I’ve transitioned into eating more at home in favor of eating out. This dish is one of those meals that makes me feel like I’m not missing a thing by skipping restaurant life.
What do you serve with Basil and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken over Herbed Orzo?
This is pretty much a self-contained meal. You got your protein and your side right there, and you can serve up a side salad of arugula with a simple lemon vinaigrette.
Keep the citrus theme going with Citrus Breeze Ice Cream, Lemon Sable Cookies, or Orange Rosemary Shortbread Cookies for dessert.
Basil and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Herbed Orzo
Ingredients
BASIL AND GOAT CHEESE MIXTURE INGREDIENTS
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 1/3 packed cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
STUFFED CHICKEN AND CITRUS AU JUS INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp low sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 lemons, juiced
- 1/2 orange, juiced
- basil and goat cheese mixture (see above)
- salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
- paprika, to taste
- onion powder, to taste
HERBED ORZO INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1/2 packed cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1/2 packed cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Chop fresh basil for goat cheese mixture. Set aside.
- Chop the fresh basil and parsley for the herbed orzo. Set aside.
- Zest the lemon and the orange for the goat cheese mixture. Set aside.
- Zest the lemon for the herbed orzo. Set aside.
- Juice the zested lemons and the zested orange for the citrus au jus into a small bowl. Set aside.
BASIL AND GOAT CHEESE MIXTURE INSTRUCTIONS
- Toast the sliced almonds in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 4- 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until almonds are toasted and fragrant. Remove from heat.
- Place ¼ cup of toasted almonds in a medium size bowl, and place the rest of the almonds aside to use for garnish later.
- Add the goat cheese, 1/3 cup chopped basil leaves, 1 tsp lemon zest, 1 tsp orange zest, and black pepper to the bowl with the toasted almonds. Mix all ingredients together until completely combined.
STUFFED CHICKEN PREP INSTRUCTIONS
- Use a sharp knife to carefully slice a "pocket" into the thickest part of each chicken breast. You want to have a deep enough pocket to be able to fill with the goat cheese mixture, but you don’t want to cut the chicken breast completely in half.
- Divide the goat cheese mixture evenly between the four chicken breasts. Use a small spoon to stuff each sliced chicken breast with the goat cheese mixture.
- Secure the edges of the pocket together with toothpicks to make sure the goat cheese mixture doesn’t spill out while cooking. (I used 4-5 toothpicks per chicken breast.)
- Liberally sprinkle both sides of the stuffed chicken breasts with onion powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper, to taste.
STUFFED CHCKEN COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Use a paper towel to wipe out the skillet that you toasted the almonds in. Place the skillet back over medium-high heat.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in the skillet, then place the stuffed chicken breasts in the skillet. Sear the chicken breasts on one side for 4-5 minutes until golden brown, then flip chicken breasts over. Let sear 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer chicken breasts until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- While chicken is cooking, make the Herbed Orzo – see below.
- Remove chicken breasts to a plate and keep warm. Stir the lemon and orange juice to remaining juices in the skillet. Let the citrus au jus mixture come to a simmer. Taste and add salt/pepper if desired. Remove citrus au jus from heat.
HERBED ORZO COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook and drain the orzo pasta according to package instructions.
- Stir the chopped parsley, chopped basil, salt, and lemon zest into the hot orzo. Set aside and keep warm.
BASIL AND GOAT CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN WITH HERBED ORZO SERVING INSTRUCTIONS
- Remove all toothpicks from the chicken breasts before serving!
- Serve basil and goat cheese stuffed chicken over a bed of warm herbed orzo. Drizzle with the citrus au jus and sprinkle with remaining toasted almonds.
