Stuffed Chicken with Gorgonzola Cheese, Bacon, and Garlic Chives

As a new homeowner last year, I was super excited for Spring to come around.  I had these grand plans to have a fabulous vegetable garden and to grow all kinds of flowers and herbs.  Well, reality did set in---my intentions were way to ambitious.  

I did make an honest attempt toward growing some vegetables and herbs on the deck in planter boxes.  The vegetables were a disaster, though.  In my greed for fresh noms, I overcrowded what was planted and overwatered (be careful when growing plants in boxes to allow for adequate soil drainage).

Thankfully, the herbs came out all right!  We made heavy use of cilantro for fresh salsa, dill for potato salad, and mint for mojitos.  What stumped me was how to use the fresh garlic chives --- yes, read that correctly: garlic chives --- to make a super tasty meal.  I stumbled upon a recipe for stuffed pork chops with chives, bacon, and blue cheese and thought it sounded amazing.  I gave it a try with chicken and gorgonzola instead.  It is absolutely delicious (and goes well with chardonnay, to boot!).

This was my first experience stuffing meat... making stuffed meat... ahh cannot unthink how dirty that sounds.  Anyway, I am very lazy when it comes to cooking.  The last time I made the recipe, I used thin sliced chicken breasts instead, which meant not having to slice open a pocket in the meat.
 

Ingredients for stuffing

Stuffed Chicken with Gorgonzola Cheese, Bacon, and Garlic Chives
Modified from Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Chive Stuffed Pork Chops

Makes 2.5 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb thinly sliced chicken breast
• 4 oz Gorgonzola cheese
• 3 slices precooked bacon
• 1.5 tbsp. chopped fresh garlic chives
• olive oil
• salt to taste (I used garlic salt)
• pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine cheese, bacon, and chives in a bowl. Divide into small balls, one for each set of chicken slices.  Place each ball in between two slices of chicken.  Use toothpicks to seal, if necessary.
3. Lightly oil outside of chicken slices.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Keep in mind that the cheese will be salty.
4. Bake ~30 minutes, until the stuffing is hot and chicken is cooked.  Remove toothpicks and serve.

I recommend using a broiler pan with aluminum foil to catch any drips, which will prevent the chicken from sitting in its own juices. 

Stuffed Chicken with fresh garlic chives and bacon garnish

Easy Chicken & Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

We love the heck out of tortilla chips in this house...tortilla chips with salsa, chips with sour cream, chips with bean dip, chips and cheese... you name it!  And thanks to Moe's restaurant chain, I fell in love with their green tomatillo salsa.  We have tried several different store brands to capture the same taste.  None can quite compare, but the closest we have found is Herdez brand Green Salsa.  For a party this past weekend, I decided to change up my favorite chicken enchilada recipe by adding this amazing salsa into the mix.  This variation has a phenomenal flavor and quickly became my new favorite---and was so simple to make!

Chicken & Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Casserole ingredients except the sour cream

Easy Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole with Green Tomatillo Salsa
Modified from Chicken Enchilada Casserole II

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

• 16 oz container sour cream
• 16 oz jar Herdez green salsa
• 16 oz (2 cans) black beans, drained
• 30 oz canned chicken, drained
• 5 (12 inch) flour tortillas or burrito shells
• 4 cups cheddar cheese 
• (optional) Onion powder to taste
• (optional) Garlic powder to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine salsa, sour cream, and spices together in a bowl. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, shred the chicken with a fork.  Stir in black beans.
4. Tear tortilla shells into strips.
5. Layer the bottom of a 13x9 baking pan with 1/3 tortilla strips.  Top with 1/3 chicken and bean mixture, 1/3 sour cream mixture, and 1/3 cheese.  Repeat layering with remaining ingredients. 
6. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
7. Let stand 10 minutes and then serve.

Leftovers make for a tasty dip with tortilla chips!  That is, I mean, if you happen to have leftovers...which would never happen because this is so amazingly delicious.  Why do I feel so full?