Real Simple's Chicken with Goat Cheese Vinaigrette

I spent time this evening around 6pm thumbing through my cookbooks to look for what to do with some plain boneless, skinless chicken breasts for dinner. Hungry and a bit tired, I wasn’t looking for anything difficult or time-consuming, but it still had to sound tasty. I came across this recipe that took less than a half hour start to finish and virtually no prep time required. Perfect!

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It was just as easy as it sounds and the results were a fulfilling and pretty finished dish for dinner. The combination of savory goat cheese from +Cypress Grove Chèvre and zesty Italian parsley was delicious. I used pearl couscous instead of orzo because it’s what I had in my cupboard. I didn’t even bother to chop the parsley, just removed the stems and poof, done. What a perfect weeknight meal when you are starving but you don’t want to settle for mediocre. Here’s my chicken with goat cheese vinaigrette:

©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

Chicken With Goat Cheese Vinaigrette

Recipe from: Real Simple Magazine, August 2011

Serves: 2
Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup orzo or couscous
2 1/2 Tbsp. plus 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (1⁄2 cup)
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, split horizontally
kosher salt and black pepper

Directions
1. Cook the orzo or couscous according to the package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup of the olive oil, the parsley, and crushed red pepper; fold in the goat cheese.

3. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. In a large skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the chicken until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve with the orzo and goat cheese vinaigrette.

Tip: For a nice, relish-like sauce, be sure the goat cheese is cold when you toss it with the olive oil mixture.