Ricotta-stuffed chicken with tomato and basil

The trick to preventing chicken breast from drying out it is to add a layer of tomato on the outside and a lovely creamy Perfect Italiano ricotta filling on the inside, and bake it in a little stock to ensure the meat remains moist and full of flavour.

Ricotta-stuffed chicken with tomato and basil Credit: Benito Martin

• serves

  4

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 4 x 225 g skinless chicken breast fillets
• 4 small roma tomatoes (about 300 g total), thinly sliced lengthwise
• 60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
• 125 ml (½ cup) chicken stock or white wine
• 12-15 basil leaves, plus extra, to serve

Stuffing

• 200 g Perfect Italiano ricotta
• 60 g (½ cup) Perfect Italiano Pizza Plus
• 45 g (¼ cup) chopped stuffed green olives, coarsely chopped
• 2 egg yolks
• 2-3 tbsp chopped basil leaves

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 225˚C.

For the filling, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Working with one chicken breast at a time and using a large, sharp knife, cut each breast through the middle, horizontally, to open the breast out - do not cut all the way through the other side.

Open the breasts out and divide the stuffing mixture among the breasts, placing it in a lengthwise line down the middle. Bring the sides of each breast over the stuffing to meet in the middle, securing the chicken with toothpicks at 2 cm intervals. The chicken may not entirely cover the filling in places.

With the breasts placed stuffing side up, arrange the tomato slices, overlapping, on top of each breast to cover the toothpicks.  

Heat half the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts, taking care not to dislodge the tomatoes.

Add the stock to the pan, drizzle the chicken with the remaining oil and scatter over the basil leaves.

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through.

Remove the pan from the oven, cover loosely with foil and stand for 5 minutes.

Carefully remove the toothpicks and cooked basil leaves and discard.

Scatter with fresh basil leaves to serve.

Get more recipes from Perfect Italiano for midweek dinner inspiration.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.