Tonight's Dinner: Blue cheese & olive stuffed chicken

I love olives, it doesn't matter if they're green, black, stuffed with cheese or garlic, or simply plain, they're always delicious. The only thing I like more than olives is olive tapenade. You know, that delicious spread that restaurants sometimes serve with bread before the main course shows up. I have had olives as a main course before; they're usually part of a sauce or cooked alongside a piece of chicken or meat.

Recently, however, I wondered, what if I stuffed those olives inside said piece of meat? And, since I love olive tapenade so much, what if I made the tapenade instead and stuffed that inside? You'd have the salty flavors of the olives and cheese, and the olive oil from the spread would infuse into the chicken making it even more moist and juicy. The idea sounded so good, I was salivating just thinking about it and I knew I had to try it. Pure, unadulterated heaven. OMG, it was good.

While I only had one piece of the tapenade stuffed chicken, I could've easily eaten a second. The best part about this recipe is how easy it is to make: from start to finish, the whole process only took about an hour. So, if you love olives as much as I do, pick some up from your deli department and give this chicken a try. Friends and family will think you ordered in from a gourmet restaurant.

Blue Cheese & Olive Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound blue cheese stuffed olives
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place olives, olive oil, and garlic cloves in a food processor and pulse until well mixed.
2. Pat each chicken breast dry and make a slit in the thickest part of the breast about 2-inches long; spoon 2 to 3 spoonfuls of olive mixture into the slit; close with 1 or 2 turkey lacers; sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over each breast.
3. Place egg in a medium bowl. Pour bread crumbs in another medium bowl. Dip each breast into egg and bread crumbs. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over high heat; place chicken in pan and sear 2 minutes per side; transfer breasts to foil-lined baking sheet and cook 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked all the way through. Serve immediately with rice or your favorite green vegetable.

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