Start a dinner date with stuffed chicken breasts.
Dinners dates are fun and spontaneous when you both decide to whip up a batch of homemade pizza, or quick and easy when you're both starving and decide that a pot of pasta will fill you up. A romantic dinner date calls for a little more planning and preparation. Choose dishes that show that significant someone that they're special but don't require you spend all day in the kitchen. Start the dinner with a baby greens salad enhanced by beets, walnuts, goat cheese and raspberry dressing. The entr e is an herb crusted baked chicken breasts stuffed with pancetta. Finish with chocolate mousse.
Instructions
1. Set up a date on the weekend when you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the preparation and consumption of the dinner. Tell your guest that it is a special meal. If he offers to bring something, a bottle of wine is always appropriate. But remember he is your guest, so unless he's into cooking, have most of the dinner prepared and ready to go when he arrives.
2. Clean the areas of the house that will be visible to your dinner guest but not the whole house. You don't want to worry if the bathroom is cleaned or whether you put the dirty laundry in the hamper.
3. Make up your dinner menu and purchase the supplies you'll need. You might think that's since there's just two of you you'll only need two chicken breasts but get extra, just in case you drop one on the floor, or another accident occurs.
4. Toss the greens with the beets and walnuts. Cut the goat cheese 1/2 inch think. Put 1 cup of the greens mixture on each salad plate. Place the goat cheese slice right on top of the greens. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator.
5. Chop the herbs and garlic. Measure 1/2 cup. Mix with 1/2 cup of pancho bread crumbs. Slice the chicken breast to make a pocket. Lay a slice of pancetta in the pocket. Put a spoonful of the herb and crumb mixture on top of the pancetta. Close the pocket. Pat the pancetta mixture on both sides of the chicken breast. Put 2 tbsp. of olive oil in the roasting pan. Put the chicken breasts in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator.
6. Drizzle purchased raspberry salad dressing over the goat cheese salad right before serving.
7. Bake the chicken in a 400 degree oven 30 minutes before you expect to serve dinner. Serve the chicken with crusty bread, steamed green beans dressed with butter and lemon slice. A chardonnay wine would work well or even a white zinfandel.
Tags: chicken breasts, goat cheese, beets walnuts, beets walnuts goat, chicken breast