Pan-fried Smoked Cheese & Ham Stuffed Chicken Breasts

in a Creamy Herb Sauce

Next Monday, on the 19th of May 2014, marks the start of Yogurt Week, the UK’s first celebration of all things yogurt! Whether it’s for breakfast on the go, a delicious snack or to use in your favourite recipes, yogurt contains a range of nutrients important for a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, and is a versatile food staple for all the family to enjoy. With so many ways to enjoy yogurt, the Yogurt Council has launched the first dedicated Yogurt Week, and as regular Lavender and Lovage readers will know, I’m very proud to be working  in partnership with Yogurt Week, as well as hosting and judging a FABULOUS Food Styling Competition where you can win £1,000 cash and a one-to-one photo styling workshop in South West France, more about that later!

Pan-fried Smoked Cheese & Ham Stuffed Chicken Breasts in a Creamy Herb Sauce

For my first bespoke Yogurt Week recipe, I would like to go slightly “off-piste” and suggest a savoury recipe; yogurt is amazing in both sweet and savoury dishes with curries being the popular choice for yogurt as a savoury ingredient usually, but the recipe I’m sharing  today is for an elegant gourmet dish,  Pan-fried Smoked Cheese & Ham Stuffed Chicken Breasts in a Creamy Herb Sauce, where thick Greek style yogurt is the star of the unctuous creamy sauce that accompanies the stuffed chicken breasts.

Pan-fried Smoked Cheese & Ham Stuffed Chicken Breasts in a Creamy Herb Sauce

This recipe is a bit of a star, as the sauce is NOT too rich and yet it has the creaminess that is the perfect match for the stuffed chicken breasts. The yogurt sauce also provides a lovely acidity to the dish, which cuts through the richness of the smoked cheese and ham that is used to stuff the chicken – it is also very well-behaved at high temperatures and is less likely to “split” than fresh cream. This recipe also has the added benefit of being suitable le to freeze at the “stuffed and pre-cooked stage”, making it a friendly recipe for busy cooks!

Pan-fried Smoked Cheese & Ham Stuffed Chicken Breasts in a Creamy Herb Sauce

So, what about this AMAZING competition that The Yogurt Council is hosting? Well, they are looking for a yogurt recipe that has been created, styled and photographed by you, and the prize for the best styled recipe photo wins a whopping £1,000 cash prize and a one-to-one food and photo styling workshop with me in SW France (or London if that’s more convenient). The entry requirements are below:

Are you a budding food blogger looking for a boost? Or perhaps you’re a foodie who loves nothing more than crafting your cooking and food presentation skills for all your friends and family to enjoy? If the answer is yes, then why not get creative with yogurt and enter our ‘Yogurt Week’ recipe and food styling challenge competition to win a £1,000 cash prize.

Not only will you win a handsome sum to treat yourself to new kitchenware, cover a few months’ groceries or even splash out on an indulgent mini-break, scoop the top prize, and you’ll also receive a one-to-one cookery and ‘edible’ food-styling session with Karen S Burns-Booth of Lavenderandlovage.com, at her cookery school in South West France. The win also comes with the kudos of being named the official food stylist for the Yogurt Council. Four runners-up will each receive £100 worth of vouchers for a supermarket of their choice.

How to Enter:

Design and produce a recipe involving yogurt.
Photograph your yogurt-based dish to make it look as attractive as possible.
Share your well-styled recipe on Instagram via the hashtag #yogurtstylist, copying @loveyogurtuk for all to see.

Dates:

Competition entries must be posted to Instagram before 23.59 on Monday 9 June 2014

Winners will be notified by 23 June 2014 by email where they will receive confirmation of their prize.

Once the winner and runners-up have acknowledged their prizes, details will be announced on Loveyogurt.org/yogurtweek and social media platforms at an appropriate time w/c 23 June 201

Prizes:

First Prize

£1,000 prize package
One-to-one recipe and food-styling masterclass with Karen S Burns-Booth,editor of Lavenderandlovage.com, to take place at Karen’s cookery school in South West France or if preferred a central London location
Title of “Official Food Stylist for the Yogurt Council” for a period of three months
Four Runners-up

£100 worth of vouchers for a supermarket of their choice
Food styling shots and recipes showcased on both Loveyogurt.org and the LoveyogurtUK Facebook page

Terms and Conditions

Blueberry & Lavender Cake: Image Love Yogurt

It would be lovely to see some of my readers enter the contest, and in the meantime, PLEASE do give my latest yogurt recipe for Pan-fried Smoked Cheese & Ham Stuffed Chicken Breasts in a Creamy Herb Sauce a whirl, (the recipe is shared below) it would be perfect for a romantic meal for two this weekend or for an alternative family weekend lunch or supper dish. That’s all for today, for more yogurt recipes on Lavender and Lovage, please my previous yogurt week post here: Celebrate Yogurt Week: Create & Style a Yogurt Recipe to win £1,000 Cash Prize Package, have a great day and see you soon, Karen 

Pan-fried Smoked Cheese & Ham Stuffed Chicken Breasts in a Creamy Herb Sauce

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Serves	2
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	25 minutes
Total time	40 minutes
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish
Misc	Child Friendly, Gourmet, Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A delectable gourmet style meal for two (or more if needs be) where plump chicken breasts are stuffed with smoked cheese and ham before being pan-fried in butter and served with a creamy herb and garlic yogurt sauce. The chicken breasts can be stuffed and wrapped in the morning and kept in the fridge until you need to cook them, making them an ideal dish for busy cooks! They can also be frozen at this stage for ease of cooking later on, and just need to be defrosted for 4 to 6 hours or overnight in a fridge.

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts (boned and skinless)
• 2 thick slices smoked Brie cheese, approx 50g (or cheese of your choice)
• 2 to 4 slices smoked ham, depending on thickness and size
• salt and pepper
• butter to fry
• 6 tablespoons thick "Greek style" yogurt
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• small bunch of fresh mixed herbs in season, finely chopped (I used parsley, chives and thyme)

Note

A delectable gourmet style meal for two (or more if needs be) where plump chicken breasts are stuffed with smoked cheese and ham before being pan-fried in butter and served with a creamy herb and garlic yogurt sauce. The chicken breasts can be stuffed and wrapped in the morning and kept in the fridge until you need to cook them, making them an ideal dish for busy cooks! They can also be frozen at this stage for ease of cooking later on, and just need to be defrosted for 4 to 6 hours or overnight in a fridge.

Directions

Step 1	Cut a deep pocket in each chicken breast, and then season with salt and pepper and then stuff the chicken with the slices of smoked Brie cheese and ham, making sure they are pushed right down into the pocket.
Step 2	Melt the butter in a large sauté pan and add the chicken breasts, secured with a toothpick if necessary. Fry on one side over a medium to low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes, before carefully turning the chicken over. Fry for a further 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown on the outside and is cooked all the way through - you can look inside the stuffed pocket to check.
Step 3	Push the chicken breasts to one side of the pan and add the yogurt, garlic and herbs; mix the yogurt into the herbs and cooking juices until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Step 4	Place the chicken onto warm plates and spoon the yogurt sauce over the top before garnishing with freshly chopped herbs. You can cut the chicken in to thick slices to serve too if you wish.
Step 5	Serve with steamed fresh potatoes and vegetables.

Pan-fried Smoked Cheese & Ham Stuffed Chicken Breasts in a Creamy Herb Sauce

This recipe was made with part of my Red Tractor Challenge hamper ingredients; some BEAUTIFUL Westin Gourmet chicken breasts. You can see my FULL write-up about the challenge and my other recipe below:

The Red Tractor Hamper Challenge: Oven Baked BBQ Pork Belly Slices

Don’t forget Yogurt Week is between the 19th and the 25th May and for further information visit loveyogurt.org and follow loveyogurtuk on Facebook and Twitter  

As this recipe has fresh herbs in it, I am also linking up to my Cooking with Herbs Challenge for May

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