Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken

Incorporating walnuts into a balanced diet has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, in addition to improving cognition and reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease – all suggesting that walnuts really a hard working nut. Try this full-ﬂavored dish that pairs walnuts with the luscious Mediterranean ﬂavors of feta cheese, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano and basil. Enjoy it with a fresh salad or sautéed vegetable for a delicious meal.

Filed Under: Mediterranean Diet, Main dishes, Dinner

Rating

Average: 5 (1 vote)

Active time

20 minutes

Total time

50 minutes

Yield

3 servings

Ingredients

⅓ cup walnut pieces

½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

6 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

4 sun-dried tomatoes (in oil), diced

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon oregano

½ teaspoon red pepper ﬂakes

3 chicken breasts (4 ounces each)

½ cup fresh basil leaves

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the grill to 500°F. Or, if using an oven, preheat it to 400°F.
In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, feta, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, and red pepper ﬂakes. Set aside.
Butterﬂy the chicken breasts by slicing them in half (lengthwise) but leaving them attached at one end. Gently pound chicken with a mallet to ﬂatten. Place 4 to 5 basil leaves on each ﬂattened breast followed by ⅓ of the walnut mixture. Spread evenly.
Begin rolling the chicken up from one end to the other to form a pinwheel shape. Brush with the olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Secure each roll with butcher string or 3 to 4 skewers. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and ﬁlling.
If grilling, reduce the heat to medium-high and grill the chicken for 25 to 30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 180 °F. If cooking in the oven, bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Tip: Prepare the chicken one day ahead and keep refrigerated.

Recipe, photo and content courtesy of California Walnut Board and Commission. For more recipes, visit California Walnut Board and Commission.

Nutrition

Calories: 244
Fat: 13g
Saturated Fat: 4g
Sodium: 263mg
Carbohydrate: 5g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 2g

Yield: 3 servings

How'd it Taste?

Jody

February 19, 2018

I made this recipe last night. It was wonderful. My husband is not a fan of feta cheese so I substituted a fresh grated Parmesan. Really easy to make, the walnuts and Kalamata olives taste wonderful together. I made extra and will freeze portions so I can have a quick grab and go meal for lunch.

Diane W

March 24, 2018

Nutritionals are off on this one. is it 20 g protein verses 2?

kelly-oldways

March 30, 2018

Hi Diane, we suspect that you are correct. The recipes and nutrition are from the California Walnut Association. We can follow up with them to see if we can track down the correct numbers.