Goat's cheese chicken with warm lentils & sweet beets
By Jane Hornby
Cooking time
Prep: 30 mins Cook: 40 minsSkill level
EasyServings
Serves 6Stuffing and wrapping chicken breasts works brilliantly for entertaining, letting you get most of the work done before any of your guests arrive
Nutrition and extra info
Additional info
- Egg-free
Nutrition per serving
- kcalories
- 661
- protein
- 62g
- carbs
- 43g
- fat
- 28g
- saturates
- 8g
- fibre
- 0g
- sugar
- 14g
- salt
- 2.52g
Ingredients
- 500g raw beetroot, peeled and cut into wedges
- 12 shallots, halved if large
- 3 tbsp clear honey
- 6 tbsp mild olive oil
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 350g Puy lentils
- 1 big garlic clove, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 100g bag mixed green leaves
For the chicken
- 6 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 150g tub Chavroux soft goat's cheese
- 20g pack flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 18 rashers thin-cut smoked streaky bacon
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Method
- Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put the beetroot and shallots into a roasting tin, drizzle with honey and 1 tbsp oil, season, then toss well. Cover with foil, then roast for 1 hr, turning after 30 mins and leaving the foil off. Splash half the lemon juice over the veg when they’re ready, then set aside. Can be made up to 1 day ahead.
- Meanwhile, boil the lentils, then drain and rinse well. Make a dressing by whizzing the garlic, capers, remaining oil, lemon juice and mustard together with seasoning. Add a couple tbsp water to loosen. Set aside.
- Turn the chicken breasts upside down, then pull each mini fillet to the side, without detaching it. Cut a pocket into the thickest part of the fillet. Repeat with the rest. Mix the lemon zest with the goat’s cheese, half the parsley and seasoning, then stuff about 1 tsp cheese into each pocket. Fold the mini fillets back over to seal. Wrap each breast in 3 rashers of bacon, then sit on a baking tray. Can be prepared up to a day ahead. Roast with the veg for 20 mins until the bacon is crisp and cooked through.
- To serve, warm the lentils in the pan, stir the remaining parsley into most of the dressing, then tip in the warm lentils. Spoon onto plates with some of the roast beets and shallots, scatter over the salad leaves, top with the chicken, sliced in half, then drizzle over remaining dressing.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2008
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Comments, questions and tips
Comments
I think the way the recipe is written could be slightly clearer - how long should the lentils be boiled for?? I followed the packet instructions of 20 minutes but they were still hard unfortunately. Also I think the oven needs to be turned down a bit when the chicken goes in (to 180 for a fan) as it was a bit overcooked. I wouldn't recommend leaving the foil off for 30 minutes as the honey really burnt to the roasting dish, probably 10 minutes would be fine. However despite these problems the flavours were really good and I will make some adjustments and make this dish again.
This was the most flavoursome meal I have eaten in a very long while! It was a little bit fiddly, however, this is more likely to be beacause I tried to start some of it earlier on in the day to save time cooking whilst my friends were round. We all absolutely loved it, I received some very good reviews and even had to share the recipe with my friend!! I will definitely cook again!!
I had a vacuum pack of cooked beats so roasted the shallots first in the honey dressing till tender, then added the chopped cooked beats for the last 10mins. They were delicious. I had made lentils this way before (with peppered smoked makeral flaked in- lovely). I have tasted this kind of wrapped chicken and always found it dry but they actually turned out lovely. Using pre-cooked beats and lentils meant it was a great mid week fast supper.
Just made this as a weekday meal for myself and my husband and it was wonderful! We had no complaints and my husband thought it looked fab too. Used soft cheese with garlic and herbs as that's what I had in the fridge, and pancetta instead of bacon as I find bacon too thick and greasy. Absolutely delicious! Good for a future dinner party.
We are all watching our calorie and fat intake so I used philadelphia extra light instead of the goat's cheese and back bacon with visible fat cut off instead of the streaky. It was really delicious. I just cooked it for the family but a great dish for entertaining as so much can be done in advance.