Herb-stuffed Chicken Breasts

I'm back to cooking! Though it doesn't show yet, I've made two new recipes a week over the last several weeks. I figure it will tide me over in December when we're so busy that we eat pizza and Chinese take-out on alternating nights.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 chicken breast halves (about 2-1/4 pounds total)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• Fresh chives (optional)
• Fresh basil (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. For the stuffing, in a small bowl stir together cream cheese, basil, chives, and garlic.

2. Skin chicken, if desired. Cut a slit horizontally in each chicken breast to make a 3-inch-square pocket. Insert a rounded tablespoon of stuffing into each slit. Fasten slit closed with water-soaked wooden toothpicks. Combine oil, lemon or lime juice, and water.

3. Grill chicken, bone side up, on an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 15 minutes, brushing occasionally with oil mixture. Turn chicken and grill for 20 to 30 minutes more or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, brushing occasionally with oil mixture. Garnish with fresh chives and basil, if desired.

So yeah... about that grilling thing... it was really cold outside and it gets dark at 5pm this time of year. So we threw it in the oven.

Makes 6 servings.

VERDICT

The filling is really rich, but this is really good. The richness of the filling could also be because the recipe called for 6 chicken breasts and I only used 2. So the filling was tripled in each chicken breast we used.

Also, it probably would have been really good grilled, but it tasted just fine in the oven. Just a note, if you do put it in the oven, it takes about 45-minutes on 350 degrees.