Feta stuffed chicken takes just 15-20 minutes to prepare and less than 30 minutes to cook. It is a simple to make one pot chicken recipe packed full of flavour.
Tender chicken breasts stuffed with feta and tapenade. and served with an easy to make creamy pancetta sauce. Cooked in one pan this recipe is quick and easy to make and very tasty.
It not only makes a great midweek meal, but it is also the perfect recipe for easy entertaining as it does not require long in the kitchen and yet tastes rather special.
I think the recipe has a bit of a summery feel although you can of course make it all year round as the ingredients are not seasonal.
What to serve with the chicken
In summer I often serve it with new or sautéed potatoes and a side salad. In winter I like to serve with a creamy mash and some green vegetables.
Easy to adapt
One of the things I love about this recipe is how easy it is to tweak according to what you have to hand. I originally planned to use some chopped sun-dried tomatoes with the feta but I didn't have any. I did find a jar of olive and sun-dried tapenade in the cupboard - as you do! So I used that instead.
I only used a little, the rest was eaten later. Some stirred into pasta and some on toast. If you don't have a jar and don't want to buy one by all means use something else - see my hints tips and variations below. If on the other hand, you want to go the whole hog and make your own tapenade you could try Delia's tapenade of sun dried tomatoes, olive and basil.
Chicken stuffed with feta is also very easy to adapt if you are cooking for more or less people.
Hint's, Tips and Variations
- Use olive tapenade, pesto, red pesto or chopped sun-dried tomatoes in place of the sun-dried tomatoes and olive tapenade.
- Change the cheese you use; mozzarella or Emmental work particularly well.
- I love the extra flavour the pancetta adds, you could use bacon lardons or chopped bacon instead or omit altogether if preferred.
- If you omit the pancetta add a little stock instead of plain water to add flavour.
- Taste the sauce before seasoning it may not need any salt.
- I have listed the cream as optional but I think it is better with, than without. You could use Cremè Fraïche instead but don't use single cream as it may curdle.
Feta Stuffed Chicken Step by Step
Cut the chicken breast almost in half and open out. Stuff with feta and tapenade. Secure close with a cocktail stick. Fry pancetta until crispy and remove from pan. Brown the chicken breasts. Return pancetta, add water. Cover and cook. Remove from pan and boil liquid to reduce. Stir in the cream. Serve sauce spooned over chicken. Serve the chicken with the sauce spooned over.
Feta Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts skinned and boned
- 100 g feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive and sun-dried tomato tapenade
- 50 g Pancetta diced
- 2 tablespoon double cream (optional)
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cut 4 chicken breast almost in half horizontally and open out.
- Cut 100g (3½oz) feta into 4 sticks and place one stick on each chicken breast. Top with a small teaspoonful of tapenade.
- Close up the chicken and secure with cocktail sticks.
- Dry fry 50g (2oz) diced pancetta in a pan until crispy and the fat has rendered. Remove from the pan with a draining spoon.
- Brown the chicken in the pan then return the pancetta to the pan. Add 2-3 tablespoon water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until juices run clear.
- Remove from the pan. Increase the heat and boil to reduce the liquid in the pan. Stir in 2 tablespoon cream if desired.
- Taste and season the sauce. Serve with sauce spooned over the chicken and sprinkled with chopped parsley.
jenny walters says
This sounds simply delicious!I love tapenade with chicken.Great dinner party dessert,easy to prep beforehand and still impressive!Yummy!xx
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Thanks Jenny. Glad you agree with the chicken Tapenade combo it is good.
Louise Fairweather says
I have some feta to use up! You may have just planned tea for me! #cookblogshare
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Glad to have been of service;)
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
Oooh Jacqui these chicken breasts look and sound delicious. I love stuffed chicken, this is a must try! x #CookBlogShare
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Thanks Kirsty. I'm sure you will love these too. j x
Monika Dabrowski says
I can imagine this tastes great with the feta and the sun-dried tomatoes, and it such a quick recipe too!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
I like quick Monika 🙂
TurksWhoEat says
Love this, I'm always trying to find ways to make chicken breast more interesting. I like the idea of using olive tapenade!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Thank you. Chicken breasts are so versatile but it is easy to get into the same old rut. I like the tapenade for a change.
Kate says
This looks really delicious. I like the variations you suggest. We always seem to have pesto in the fridge. I will give it a try. Thanks! #CookBlogShare
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Is there anyone who doesn't have pesto in their fridge these days:)
Maurits Kalff says
On the top of my list!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
enjoy!
Ally Ife says
Will this freeze?
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Yes it would for up to 1 month. Defrost, then reheat fully. However I think it would be better fresh. It is a very easy recipe to scale down as the method and cooking time are unaffected by doing so.
Hope this helps