Honey and Goat Cheese Chicken

This is an easy but simply delicious recipe we enjoyed recently! That honey butter over the cracker topping is so tasty, and works beautifully with the tangy and creamy goat cheese filling. I loved the balance of flavors and textures in this dish!

It is very versatile and you can serve this up with just about any of your favorite side dishes - a bright crisp green salad would be an excellent choice! We enjoyed this with some steamed cauliflower - we will definitely use this recipe again!

Honey and Goat Cheese Chicken

Ingredients
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 sleeve crushed butter crackers (Ritz)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (depending on how much spice you want)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 oz goat cheese, cut into 4 equal portions
3 Tablespoons honey
3 Tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the crushed crackers, red pepper, salt and pepper; mixing to blend evenly.
3. Cut a slit in the side of each chicken breast, making sure not to go all the way through (if you have very large chicken breasts, cut them in half before making the pockets, aiming for about 4-oz portion size). 
4. Divide the goat cheese between the pockets you've cut, stuffing to fit.
5. Place prepped chicken in the 9x13 baking dish and distribute the cracker topping over the breasts, pressing down.
6. Spray with nonstick cooking spray, and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
7. Combine the honey and melted butter in a small dish, stirring to blend. Remove the chicken after the first 10 minutes in the oven and pour the honey / butter mixture gently over the top of the cracker crumb coating.
8. Bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of your chicken reads 165 degrees.

Recipe from Paula Deen