Greek Stuffed Chicken And Couscous Tomatoes Recipes

COUSCOUS STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST WITH FETA, SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND KALAMATA OLIVES

Steps:

• For the couscous: In saucepan over medium heat add olive oil, when hot, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and saute a few minutes more. Add olives and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the box of couscous, turn off heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, and season with salt and pepper. Spread 2 cups on large plate, add in 1/2 pound feta, and let cool. Keep the remaining hot to serve with chicken. (Put in covered casserole and reheat in oven last 10 minutes with chicken.)
• For the chicken: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Trim chicken with a boning knife, if needed. Start at top of breast and carefully make a lengthwise cut from top to bottom and making a pocket about 2 inches, making sure not to pierce the other side of the breast. When couscous is cool enough to handle, carefully spoon couscous mixture into pocket. Even out the stuffing by gently moving it around with your hands. Wipe off any excess couscous from outside of breasts and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat olive oil and butter in saute pan and brown off both sides of chicken. Place chicken on baking sheet and place in oven for 20 minutes.
• While chicken is baking, make the sauce.
• For the sauce: In saute pan that you cooked chicken breasts in, heat and add garlic. Deglaze with white wine and add lemon juice. Reduce by one third. Add in sun-dried tomatoes, let reduce for 2 to 3 minutes, add the olives, turn off heat, add the butter and stir to combine.
• To serve, place couscous from oven on plate, cut chicken breast in half, top with sauce, crumble remaining feta cheese over.

GREEK STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine spinach, feta cheese, cottage cheese, and the egg and mix well.
• Make a small slice in the side of the chicken breast and stuff with the spinach mixture.
• Saute the chicken breasts in the butter until lightly browned on each side.
• Add any other spices you would like, I usually use salt, pepper and parsley.
• Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

COUSIN COSMO'S GREEK CHICKEN

Steps:

• On large plate, combine 1 tablespoon flour, salt, and pepper. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine cheese, lemon juice, and oregano. Set aside.
• With a meat mallet, pound each chicken breast to 1/2 inch thickness. Spread cheese mixture on each chicken breast, leaving 1/2 inch border. Fold chicken breasts in half; secure each with toothpick. Coat chicken breasts with flour mixture.
• In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook chicken breasts for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until golden. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups water, chicken bouillon cube, and remaining flour; pour over chicken breasts in pan. Add spinach and tomato to skillet, and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Discard toothpicks before serving.

GREEK STUFFED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Prepare the tomatoes. With a sharp paring knife, cut out the tops of the tomatoes as you would a jack-o'-lantern, leaving them intact so that you can replace them when you bake the tomatoes. Cut away the woody core, and reserve the tops. Using a small spoon, preferably a grapefruit spoon, scoop out the insides of the tomatoes. Place a strainer over a bowl, and rub the seed pods against the strainer. Discard the seeds. Finely chop the pulp. Add to the bowl with the juice. Salt the tomato shells, place them upside down on a rack set on a baking sheet, and let drain while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
• Toss the shredded zucchini with a generous amount of salt, and let drain in a colander for 10 minutes. Take up handfuls of zucchini and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to the bowl with the tomato pulp. Add the garlic, mint, parsley or dill, and rice or bulgur. Season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and let sit for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a baking dish large enough to accommodate all of the tomatoes. Fill the tomatoes almost to the top with the stuffing, and replace the caps. Place in the oiled baking dish. Drizzle on the remaining oil. Place in the oven, and bake 45 minutes to an hour until the tomatoes are almost collapsing. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool to room temperature or serve hot.

GREEK STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Zest lemon. Remove lemon pith with a sharp knife and slice flesh horizontally. Reserve slices.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in an oven-safe, nonstick skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion and cook until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add lemon zest and garlic and heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add spinach to the onion mixture. Cook and stir until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove spinach-onion mixture to a bowl. Wipe skillet clean and set aside. Stir feta cheese and olives into the spinach mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cut a 2-inch slit along the edges of the thick side of each chicken breast. Cut lengthwise, being careful not to cut through the bottom or the opposite edge, creating a pocket. Season the pocket with salt and pepper.
• Stuff each chicken breast with 1/2 of the onion and spinach mixture and close the slits with toothpicks. Dust chicken lightly with flour, salt, and pepper.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Place chicken in the hot oil with the rib side facing up. Cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Turn chicken rib-side down and place lemon slices on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 35 minutes.