Caramelized boursin cheese gives chicken boost

Here’s an easy way to flavor boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They’re stuffed with creamy caramel and onion-flavored boursin cheese. Boursin is a cow’s milk cheese that’s spreadable. They make several different cheese flavors; any one of them will work for this recipe. Or, you can use herb-flavored cream cheese or other flavored soft cheese.

Microwaveable brown rice is tossed with fresh spinach for an easy side dish. The whole meal will take about 15 minutes from preparing the ingredients to the finished meal.

Caramelized Onion-Stuffed Chicken Breast

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer. Yield: 2 servings

2 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup boursin caramelized onion cheese

Olive oil spray

2 tablespoons chopped parsley, optional garnish

Place the chicken on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Pound the thick end of the chicken with a meat bat or bottom of a heavy skillet to make the whole breast about 1-inch thick.

Make a horizontal slit in each chicken breast. It should be deep enough to form a pocket the length of the chicken breast, but not all the way through. Open the chicken breasts like a book. Sprinkle the inside slits of the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the cheese in half and fill each breast spreading it to make an even filling. Press the chicken breast together to close the slit.

Heat a nonstick skillet large enough to hold the chicken in one layer over medium-high heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add the chicken and brown for 2 minutes. Turn the chicken over and brown for 2 minutes. Lower heat to medium, cover with a lid and cook 5 more minutes. A meat thermometer should read 165 degrees. Remove to two dinner plates and sprinkle with chopped parsley, if using. Serve with the rice.

Spinach and Brown Rice

4 cups baby spinach

1 package microwave brown rice (1½ cups cooked)

1 teaspoon olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place spinach in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high 30 seconds and remove. Microwave the rice according to package instructions. Measure 1½ cups rice and reserve the remaining rice for another time. Add to the spinach with the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Divide between two dinner plates.