Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken Breasts

(Serves 6)

First created to use up feta and olives in the fridge, this is one of my favourite things to cook all year round even if it does sound particularly summery. Easy to cook when entertaining, as it can all be prepared before hand, you can adapt this recipe for individual tastes and budgets. We do a lovely range of olives at Andrew’s and for this recipe I use the Mix Italia – a lovely blend of black and green olives as well as capers and peppers. The sweet flavours balance out the Greek feta we sell perfectly, but if you prefer say plain black olives, I would use some chopped cherry tomatoes in with the stuffing.

I use Serrano ham to wrap the chicken breasts because of its robust flavour that is slightly stronger than Parma ham, but cheaper alternatives such as streaky bacon can also be used.

You will need:

How to

-Pre-heat the oven to 190°C.
-Mix the chopped feta, chopped olives, and herbs in a bowl.
-Drizzle with plenty of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper for seasoning.
-Slice open your chicken breasts lengthways to butterfly them, being careful not to cut all the way through *.

-Lay out your ham on a chopping board, place your open chicken breasts on top, and divide the mixture between as shown. This then makes it easier to close your chicken breast and wrap the Serrano ham around the breast to keeping the mix within.
-Secure with a cocktail stick if necessary.
-Place on baking tray and put into pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.
-Presenting the chicken breasts cut in half allows you to check they are completely cooked inside before plating up.

Serve on a bed of salad for a light meal, or with rice and vegetables for something a little heartier.

*Something you can ask our butchers to do if you’re not too confident.