This dish is the main course on our “Dinner For 2” menu therefore the recipe is written for 2 people. However, it’s an easy meal to double or triple if you want to honor guests.
This dish is another delicious masterpiece created by Stephanie. I’d heard positive ravings from those to whom she’s served it for months before I got to try it myself and I am happy to pass it along to you now. It is elegant enough to be served as part of a special dinner but still very simple with a short list of familiar and easy to find ingredients.
This dish, with the goat cheese and wine and butter, is very rich and so only needs simple vegetables served alongside or even just a green salad (like this one)! The sundried tomatoes are an ingredient you don’t want to leave off as they add a bit of welcome tang. They pair perfectly with the richness provided by the butter and cheese.
You can roast or grill the chicken depending on your preference (and the weather). Stephanie says it’s even yummier if you can grill the chicken but is still delicious if it’s all done in the oven (and I can attest to that).
There is white wine in the sauce. If you ask a chef they will tell you to always cook with the same wine you want to drink…in other words, get something nice. Plus, this way you won’t end up using only a bit of the wine in your sauce just to throw out the rest of the bottle because you don’t like it by itself. However, if you don’t want to use any of the good stuff you’re planning to drink with dinner in the dish itself we recommend purchasing a pinot gris or a sauvignon blanc or just a cooking sherry for the sauce. Don’t get the cheapest one and you’ll be fine.
To choose a wine to pair with the meal my husband and I went to McPherson Cellars here in Lubbock and told them what we were cooking. They recommended 2 or 3 great whites and let us taste them. They can also recommend a red if you prefer red wine. It was a nice afternoon date and we left with their Viognier to pair with this Dinner For 2 menu. I also used it in the sauce (if you’re cooking for 2 it only calls for ½ a cup).
If you prefer not to cook with wine you can substitute chicken broth in the recipe. If you’re on Phase 1 of the Veritas Basic Healing Diet of course alcohol isn’t on the recommended list of foods but hey, neither is dessert and we have one of those on our menu too! A special date-night-in on Valentine’s Day (which, at the time of this posting, is coming up in 2 weeks) or any other time it’s called for could be an occasion to set the table link and prepare a good, real-food meal with wine and dessert and the whole shebang! Get back to your usual the next day. (And, the alcohol cooks off in the sauce so that helps a bit if that’s a problem for you!)
As a bonus we have Stephanie preparing the entire Dinner For 2 menu (minus the dessert) on video! She’s cooking at my house this time but has prepared it for the Edwards in their home on a regular week night as well as served it to dinner guests on several occasions. It’s the newest installment in our, “Hey Steph! What’s for dinner?!” line up.
*Note – There are small discrepancies between the way this recipe is written and what you will see Stephanie do in the video such as cook times, measurement or when salt is added, etc. Remember, she is cooking the meal for a family of 4 and this recipe is written for 2…and the chicken breasts she used were huge! We couldn’t eat it all! We’ve taken care to give some details in this written recipe about chicken breast size and other things that will help you make the meal at home. Between this written recipe and watching her prepare the meal we think you’ll feel confident to tackle it yourself.
Let’s get to that recipe.
ingredients
- 2 small to medium size chicken breasts or 1 very large breast sliced in half horizontally (some of those chicken breasts can be huge!)
- 3-4 ounces of plain goat cheese (it’s pretty much everywhere – Costco, Sprouts, Natural Grocers, Unites, etc.)
- 1 small jar of sundried tomatoes
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 stick of butter (about 4 Tbs)
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced (that just means chopped tiny)
- 1/2 C white wine or cooking sherry (see notes above in post)
- 1/2 C fresh basil leaves, chopped & loosely packed
instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 (If you’re preparing the entire Dinner For 2 menu all of the dishes cook at 375!)
- Prepare your chicken breast by sprinkling salt and pepper on both sides and placing them on a roasting pan or even in a glass Pyrex or other oven-proof dish. Either will work.
- When the oven is up to temp place your chicken in and cook it for about 20 minutes. You want it to be just done if not a tad bit under done because it will go in the oven again later (and you don’t want to overcook it). If you cut into it and it’s still barely pink and soft, that’s good. If it’s a bit more done than that, that’s OK too. *You can grill your chicken instead if you like. Grill it to the same doneness I’ve described. It will go in the oven for round 2.
- While your chicken is cooking make your white wine and butter sauce. Place a medium size sauce pan or sauté skillet over medium heat and toss your butter in.
- While your butter is melting peel and chop up the cloves of garlic and chop your basil leaves, too.
- Toss the garlic into the melted, sizzling butter. (If you haven’t chopped garlic before just go for it. If it’s not super tiny, no worries! It will still flavor the sauce perfectly).
- Your pan of butter and garlic should be sautéing lightly with small bubbles. Sizzling. If your pan is too hot and it’s scaring you just turn down the heat a couple notches. Stir the butter and garlic around with a spatula or whisk for a couple minutes. Its OK if your garlic turns a little brown.
- Now, while stirring pour the ½ C of wine (or chicken broth) into the butter and garlic. Stir it up and then let it simmer for a couple minutes (again it should just be sizzling). This allows the alcohol to cook off and the flavor of the wine to remain. Butter and wine and garlic is an established and heavenly blend of flavors loved the world over!
- After a minute or 2 toss in your fresh basil leaves. Give it a stir and take it off heat. Set sauce aside.
- Your chicken should be done about now. If your oven timer goes off while you’re still making the sauce just take the chicken out and set it aside for a minute.
- Now your sauce is ready. Your chicken is ready. Take out an oven proof glass dish (such as Pyrex) or, if you used one to cook your chicken you can just use that one.
- Place the chicken in the dish. Place a few slices or hunks of goat cheese on top of each piece of chicken. Place a handful of sundried tomatoes on top of the goat cheese. You can mash them down a little if you like so they don’t roll off.
- Slowly pour your white wine and butter sauce over and around the chicken. It will create a little bath in the bottom of the dish for your chicken to finish cooking in.
- Place the dish in the oven and let it cook again for about 10 minutes.
- When it’s ready the cheese will be soft and maybe a tad browned. The sundried tomatoes may be a bit browned too. (Goat cheese doesn’t really become runny when hot like other cheeses).
- To keep warm tent the dish with a bit of foil (that is, don’t cover it tightly. Some steam should escape) and leave it on the stove off heat.
- To serve, plate the chicken over some mashed cauliflower or mashed potatoes and drizzle your delicious sauce over top.
- Enjoy!
