Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Cheese, Tomato, and Basil

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (you can use the bone-in kind. It'd actually be better, I'm sure, but it's better for you to use the skinless ones)
• 1/4 C. packed fresh basil leaves
• 4-6 sun-dried tomato halves, drained from a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves.
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into chunks
• 1 tsp olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil and set aside.

2. With a paring knife, cut a 1 inch long slit in the thick side of each breast. Insert knife, without enlarging opening, carefully work around inside to form a pocket (make sure you don't go through the other side).

3. On a cutting board, pile basil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper, finely chop together. Divide mixture evenly and spoon into breast pockets in chicken, spreading it around evenly. Insert cheese into each chicken pocket, too.

4. Close pockets, using 2-3 toothpicks (or butcher's twine) per breast. Arrange (skin side up, if you're using chicken breasts with skin) on baking sheet. Rub with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast until well browned and an instant-read inserted in the thickest part of the breast (avoiding the bone) reads 165 degrees. Or about 30 minutes and check to make sure it's cooked through. Let chicken rest a few minutes and remove toothpicks before serving.