Tomato-stuffed chicken with roasted fennel

Tomato-stuffed chicken with roasted fennel

4
Points®
Total Time
45 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
In this flavorful dish, succulent chicken breasts are filled with fresh tomatoes and sharp Romano. The chicken breasts are then cooked in the same pan with fennel that’s roasted with bacon. What makes it even easier: There's no need to turn the chicken breasts in the pan. Let the chicken cook for 25-30 minutes until crisp-tender, and then pull it out of the oven and spoon any remaining juices over the pieces. This sophisticated recipe is a meal that’s impressive enough for company and takes only about 45 minutes to make. You'll wow your guests and yourself with your cooking skills.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

3 spray(s)

Uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast

20 oz, 4 (5-ounce) breasts

Table salt

1 tsp

Black pepper

½ tsp

Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

¼ cup(s)

Fresh thyme

1 tsp, minced

Fresh thyme

4 sprig(s)

Fennel seeds

2 tsp, crushed

Uncooked fennel bulb

2 item(s), each cut into 8 wedges, fronds reserved

Uncooked center cut bacon

2 slice(s)

White wine

3 Tbsp

Olive oil

1 Tbsp

Fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray large rimmed sheet pan with nonstick spray.
  2. Cut 2 tomatoes into 6 slices each. Halve the remaining 2 tomatoes lengthwise. Set aside.
  3. Place chicken on cutting board. Holding sharp knife parallel to board and starting at one side, cut three-quarters of way through chicken and open up like a book. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Place 2 tomato slices on bottom half of each chicken breast. Sprinkle tomatoes evenly with Romano and minced thyme. Close top of each chicken breast over tomatoes. Place chicken in center of prepared pan. Top chicken with remaining 4 tomato slices; sprinkle with fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Top tomato slices with thyme sprigs.
  4. Arrange fennel wedges in single layer in pan; sprinkle fennel with bacon. Arrange tomato halves in single layer in pan. Drizzle chicken, fennel, and tomatoes with wine, oil, and lemon juice; sprinkle tomatoes and fennel with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
  5. Roast chicken and vegetables, without turning, until chicken is cooked through, tomatoes begin to shrivel, and fennel is crisp-tender, 25–30 minutes.
  6. Transfer to plates; spoon any cooking juices over chicken. Sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds.
  7. Serving size: 1 stuffed chicken breast, 4 fennel wedges, and 1/2 tomato