Fruity goats cheese in action.

For the record this recipe is really easy; my husband made it under instruction and it worked out wonderfully (and he does not consider himself a cook at all!).

I was gifted some goats cheese at Christmas and was immediately thinking of how I would use it. One had cranberry and cinnamon in it and the other blueberry and cinnamon. In it, well, around it. The cheese was in a log and covered in the fruity 'goo'. Anyway, the method I decided on was to use it to stuff something, and chicken was available. I explained the idea to my husband and when I got home from work it was almost ready to eat, we just had to throw together some greenery to accompany it and we were set. 

You will need chicken breasts, skin on, ours were on the bone.1 each. 1 Spaghetti squash. We shared only half and there was left over from that. 1 bunch asparagus. 1 bag/bunch spinach. Fruit covered logs of goats cheese.  Olive oil, butter, salt and pepper.

This is the idea explained:

Slice a pocket into the thickest part of the chicken breast. Place your hand flat against the top of the breast to hold it in place as you cut. Once the knife is in, sort of sweep it along in an arc, carving out a small pouch for the cheese. Don't cut the whole side open, try to leave it intact at either end. He found using the boning knife the best.

Into the pocket, squish a ball of goats cheese (half the blueberry one half cranberry in this instance). A golf ball size is probably more than enough, too much and it will leak back out when it cooks. If you were using plain goats cheese you could put some herbs and lemon zest in too, but with the fruit and cinnamon already in the cheese it is fine as it is. Rub some olive oil, salt and pepper over the chicken and place them in a dish and into a preheated oven (400) for about 30minutes. Then let them rest. Check on their done-ness with a thermometer if you aren't sure. 

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop the seeds out. Place it cut side down in a pot with a couple of inches of water and cover. Bring it to the boil and let it steam for about 10minutes. You will know it is done when the colour is consistent throughout the cross section (a rich yellow) and when you can stick a fork right through the flesh to the skin. You will start this half way through the chicken cooking so that it is all ready together. 

You can throw the pre-snapped asparagus into the water after the squash is done and been removed. It will be ready in a minute or 2. Toss it lightly to ensure even cooking. Lastly, pour boiling water over spinach in a colander (in the sink) and toss it around so that it starts to wilt. Keep pouring it on until you are happy with how much it has wilted. 

To serve: 

Flake the squash in its skin with a fork, it falls apart and looks like spaghetti surprise surprise! Add a spot of butter. Place a portion on a plate next to a perfectly cooked chicken breast and add some greenery. The chicken had a subtle flavour of berries and cinnamon right throughout it, and the goat cheese cut right through it perfectly and was so good with the squash. For someone who thinks that they cannot cook, trust me, this is a recipe that you can certainly make and impress anyone with. I was impressed!