As far as cooking goes – I love it. I’ve often said that cooking is a passion of mine and I really love baking but, let’s be honest, who has the time to cook delicious dinner recipes when they have small children and a business to run?
Not me. Until you think up super quick and easy dinner recipes that is – then you can cook, gobble up and still kick ass in the meantime.
I was struggling to work out what to cook on a Tuesday evening, bored to death of the same old dinner ideas and I just thought sod it, I’m going to go for something different… so voila. Chicken is one of the most versatile meals, it’s so yummy when done properly and it takes on flavour really well – plus it’s rarely bad with any accompaniment which means you can do whatever with it – rice, pasta, veg… anything!
Stuffed Chicken with Soy Honey Roasted Veg (Serves 4-6 depending – we have 3 adults and 3 children so cut two of the breasts in half)
- 4 chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons pesto
- 150g mature cheddar cheese
- 4 slices of ham
- butter to baste
- 100g new potatoes, washed and chopped into cubes
- 3 carrots, washed and cut into cubes
- 1 pepper, chopped into small pieces (same size as the carrot!)
- 1 large courgette, sliced
- 1 tablespoon of garlic puree (or 3 cloves if you prefer)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons oil (any will be fine)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- salt and pepper
Start off by preheating your oven to GM 7.
Place all of the chopped veggies in a baking tray with the soy, honey, garlic and oil with a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place in the oven where these need to cook for around 40 minutes – stirring gently once.
Once the veggies are in, using cling film and a rolling pin, batten out your chicken breasts so that they are about 1 inch thick. Spread over each breast a decent helping of pesto, then sprinkle over cheese and a slice of ham. Roll the chicken and place, face down in a foil “parcel”. Smear your butter over the top to stop the chicken getting dry, sprinkle over some salt and pepper, then seal the parcel ensuring there are no gaps for leaks! Place in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes.
Serve piping hot!
