Blue Cheese-Stuffed Chicken with Buffalo Sauce

I got this recipe from the March 2010 edition of Cooking Light Magazine. I LOVE this magazine! A couple of years ago my parents and Preston and I decided to do a weight loss challenge (think biggest loserish) of our own. We were very successful until I got pregnant (and Preston enjoyed all my cravings with me) and my Mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer (combination of drug induced hunger, comfort foods, and difficulty keeping up our exercise regiment while going through treatment). We found several cookbooks and recipe sites that offer low-calorie, low-fat DELICIOUS food. This was really important to us since my Mom and I share a love of cooking (and make a really great team in the kitchen!). At first it seemed like we were doing a lot of prepping food with the diet (salads etc.), but not a lot of cooking. I LOVED the idea and feeling of shedding the pounds and getting in shape, but HATED the fact that we weren't really cooking and trying new recipes anymore. I knew that we wouldn't be able to keep it up if we couldn't feel like we were cooking. The Eating Well and Cooking Light cookbooks, internet sites, and magazines were lifesavers!

Blue Cheese-Stuffed Chicken with Buffalo Sauce

(Cooking Light Magazine, March 2010)

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast half and about 4 tsp. sauce).

Calories 392, Fat 12.9 g (sat 6.7 g, mono 3.4 g, poly 1 g), Protein 47.4 g, Carbs 18.5 g, Chol 175 mg, Iron 2.3 mg,

Sodium 421 mg, Calc 120 mg

Ingredients

1/2 c. (2 oz.) crumbled blue cheese

1 T. reduced-fat sour cream

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

4 (6 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 T. 2% reduced-fat milk (we used skim)

1 lg. egg, lightly beaten

1 c. panko (japanese style breadcrumbs)

1 1/2 T. butter, divided (we used I can't believe it's not butter for cooking/baking)

6 T. finely chopped, drained, bottled roasted red bell peppers

2 tsp. water

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. minced fresh garlic

1/2 tsp. hot sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff cheese mixture evenly into pockets.
3. Place flour in a shallow dish. Combine milk and egg in a shallow dish, stirring well with a whisk. Place panko in a shallow dish. Working with one chicken breast at a time, dredge chicken in flour, then dip in egg mixture; dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, flour, egg mixture, and panko.
4. Heat a large oven proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 T. butter to pan; swirl until butter melts. Arrange chicken in pan; cook 4 minutes or until chicken is browned. Turn chicken over; place skillet in oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. (Tip: Resist the urge to turn the chicken before it's time; otherwise you risk having the breading stick to the pan).
5. While chicken bakes, combine remaining 1 1/2tsp. butter, bell peppers, water, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer; cook until butter melts. Remove from heat, and stir in hot sauce. Serve sauce with chicken.

This was very yummy! Preston LOVED it! The sauce came out pretty spicy, but we used buffalo sauce instead of plain hot sauce. It was still excellent, but my Dad had a hard time eating the sauce because of the spice. If you want it more mild, I would cut the Worcestershire sauce out completely and use a milder hot sauce.

Enjoy!