Italian Baked Chicken Recipe
Italian Baked Chicken
 Prep Time ~15 mins | Cooking Time ~ 60 mins |
 Approx Cost ~ £ |  Difficulty ~ Easy |
 Freeze ~ Yes |  Serves ~ 4 |
Tip ~
Ingredients
4 large chicken breasts, with skin
50g / 2oz full fat soft goat's cheese
16 mild Peppadew peppers (sweet piquant peppers) roughly chopped
50g / 2oz pitted black olives, roughly chopped
1 fat garlic clove, crushed
75ml / 3floz dry white wine
½ quantity all purpose tomato sauce (see recipe below)
Olive oil to drizzle
Small handful of basil leaves
Method
- Preheat oven to 200C, Gas mark 6.
- Gently lift up the skin of each chicken breast to make a pocket and spread the goat's cheese over the flesh.
- Press the peppers and olives into the cheese and ease the skin back over the filling - don't worry if it is not completely covered.
- Stir the crushed garlic and wine into the tomato sauce and spoon it over the base of an ovenproof dish, just large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer.
- Sit the chicken breasts on the sauce and drizzle with a little olive oil, then season.
- Cook the chicken for 30 - 35 minutes or until tender and golden. Serve warm garnished with basil leaves.
All purpose tomato sauce:
Finely chop 1 large Spanish onion and fry with 1 crushed garlic clove in 3 tablespoons olive oil over a low heat for 10 minutes until soft and golden.
Add 500g / 1lb 2oz finely chopped tomatoes; 2 x 500g packs passata, 4 tablespoons sundried tomato paste and 300ml / ½ pint vegetable stock.
Stir and season. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Stir in 15g / ½ oz butter, adjust seasoning as desired.