Chicken stuffed with roasted red pepper, cream cheese and basil
A low-salt family dish with a delicious flavour which makes a good weekday main meal.
Chef
Ingredients
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
200g cream cheese
2 red peppers, from a jar
2 cloves garlic
1 handful fresh basil leaves
10g fresh Parmesan cheese
1-2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
Pepper to season
240g rice
200g purple sprouting broccoli
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 180C/ gas mark 4. Grease a large casserole dish with a little olive oil.
Make a butterfly cut in each chicken breast by slicing into long side, stopping about 1cm from opposite side, being careful not to cut all the way through. -
Step 2
Open up each chicken breast so it is flat, sprinkle with half of the Italian seasoning and pepper. Mix crushed garlic with the cream cheese and spread a thin layer on each breast. Rinse and thinly slice the roasted red pepper and place with a basil leaves on top of the cream cheese.
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Step 3
Fold the side of the chicken breast closed, tucking in the red pepper, basil, and cheese. You can use 2-3 cocktail sticks to keep the chicken closed. Sprinkle the remaining Italian seasoning over the top of the chicken. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Wash and add rice to a pan of boiling water cook, following the packet instructions.
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Step 4
Once cooked, take out of the oven grate over the parmesan cheese. Grill the chicken under a high heat until cheese is browned and bubbly. While the chicken is under the grill, cook the purple sprouting broccoli in a saucepan of boiling water. Serve with the broccoli and rice, pouring over some of the meat juices as a light sauce.
Food facts
The main source of carbohydrate in this dish is the rice. The carbohydrate values have been provided for those who have trained in insulin adjustment.
The meal will contain a reasonable amount of phosphate from the chicken and the cheese, but you could reduce the portion of cheese to lower the phosphate content. If you have been prescribed a phosphate binder ensure you take them with this dish. Peppers are a great alternative to tomatoes if you need to be more careful with your potassium intake.
Because the protein content of this dish is high it is great for people who are on dialysis. If you have been advised to lower your protein intake, you can reduce the amount of chicken to a portion between 70-100g.
This dish is naturally gluten free
There is no added salt in this dish. If you want to reduce the amount of fat you eat try using a light version of the cream cheese.
Frozen chicken breasts which have been defrosted thoroughly for a day in the fridge may be cheaper than using fresh chicken breasts. You can save money by serving with a head of broccoli or by grilling your own bell peppers instead (see below) of buying in a jar.
To grill your own peppers, just place under a high heat until the skin is brown/black, place in a plastic food bag and wait until they start to sweat. The skin should be very easy to remove then.