Southwest Stuffed Chicken Breast with Pepper Jack Cheese

By charlotteh371

Ingredients

• Ingredients:
• • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (tenderloins removed and saved for another use)
• • 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grill pan
• • 1 teapsoon lime zest
• • 1-1 ½ teaspoons lime juice
• • 1 teaspoon salt
• • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• • 1 teapsoon paprika
• • ½ teaspoon granulated onion
• • ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
• • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• • Pinch black pepper
• • 1 ¼ cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• • ½ cup black beans
• • ½ cup corn kernels
• • ¼ cup sliced roasted red peppers (from jar)
• • Pico de Gallo (prepared), for garnish
• • Cilantro leaves, for garnish
• • Lime slices/wedges, for garnish

Preparation

Step 1

Preparation:

-Place the chicken breasts into a medium-size bowl, and add in all of the ingredients beginning with the olive oil, up to and including the black pepper, and toss to season the meat well; marinate the chicken for at least 20 minutes, or even overnight, if preparing ahead.

-Once chicken in marinated, preheat your oven to 350°, and line a baking sheet with foil and top with a wire rack.

-Preheat your grill pan over medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 1-2 tablespoons of oil; once hot, add in the chicken breasts (work in a couple of batches, if necessary) and grill them for about 3 minutes per side, or just until golden on the outside (the chicken will not be cooked through at this point, which is fine.)

-Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, make a pocket in the thickest part of the breast, taking care not to cut all the way through, but just creating a large enough of pocket to stuff with filling; add a generous ¼ cup of the cheese, then a couple of tablespoons each of the black beans and corn, and then a few slices of the roasted red peppers.

-Use a couple of toothpicks to secure the opening, and place the stuffed breasts onto the wire rack, and place into the oven to bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is melty.

-Top each stuffed chicken breast with some of the Pico de Gallo, plus a few cilantro leaves, if desired, and a slice/wedge of lime, for garnish.