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Because everyone's on the kale train, right? Ugh, I wish I could whole-heartedly get on but I just can't get past the taste sometimes. I've tried doing the Kale chip thing but was unimpressed so instead I resort to disguising it in cheesy delicious dishes like this.
If you're not joining the masses for the Kale frenzy let me just remind you of it's supposed health benefits... As it's packed with antioxidents like vitamin c, beta-carotene, kaempferol and quercetin (yeah, I'd only heard of vitamin c too), Kale is said to help fight major ailments including cardiovascular disease, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, cancers, etc and even keep your skin from prematurely aging....Kale, for the win.
Week two of our CSA farm share brought us fresh kale and garlic scapes among other goodies. While trying to take advantage of as many lake days as possible, my desire to spend all afternoon in the kitchen has dwindled in these summer months, so behold a quick and easy stuffed chicken recipe that gets you your Kale nutrients without the blah Kale flavor.
Ingredients
1 medium onion - finely chopped
2 garlic scapes - thinly sliced (you can substitute 2 cloves of minced garlic)
1 c. Kale - Chiffonade (like you would cut up Basil)
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 c. shredded Gouda cheese
4 boneless chicken breasts - pounded to about 1/4" thickness
1/4 - 1/2 c. chicken stock
Directions
Heat a cast iron skillet (or another pan that can be transferred to the oven) over medium heat. Add drizzle of olive oil and onions. Stir and saute for about a minute. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add kale, salt and pepper. Stir and saute until Kale is just beginning to wilt. Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, mix together kale mixture and Gouda. Place a couple of spoonfuls on each chicken breast and roll. Season outside of chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat the same pan you used to cook the kale and onions in over medium-high heat. Drizzle again with olive oil. Place rolled chicken breasts (seam side down) in pan and sear 3-4 minutes per side or until browned. They will lift easily from the pan when they are ready to flip, if they stick they're not quite ready. Pour chicken stock into the pan to deglaze and add enough to coat the bottom of the pan (about 1/4"). Transfer pan to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Serves 4.