Cilantro Stuffed Chicken with a Roasted Poblano Sauce

I am back in the kitchen - finally! I love vacation but I definitely miss cooking after several days.

This chicken dish was from a recipe found on the Epicurious website for Cilantro Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Poblano Chili Sauce. I followed most of it with a few minor changes. My changes are noted in italics below, and I made the recipe for 2, not 4.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1.5 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic (original recipe called for 1 clove for 4 breasts...but we love garlic)
• Added: 1 tsp finely chopped onion
• Added: dusting of chili powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne
• Added: grated manchego cheese
• Poblano sauce: 2 roasted poblano peppers, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 small onion, 8 oz chicken broth, added 1/4 c light cream; added salt

Directions

• Cut a pocket into each chicken breast.
• Mix cilantro, garlic, onion, and manchego cheese; fill each pocket with the mixture. Coat the chicken with the spices and a touch of olive oil. Place in a baking dish and bake on 400 for approximately 12-15 minutes, flipping once.
• Make the sauce: roast peppers (I do them right on the gas burner on my stove), peel skin off, and chop. I kept some of the seeds because we like heat. Then, heat olive oil in a small pot and saute onions and garlic. Add peppers and broth and bring to a simmer for 1 minute. Transfer to a blender and puree. Return to pot, add cream and bring to a simmer. Season with salt.
• Serve sauce over chicken.

I love cilantro, and this chicken was just bursting with the flavor. The sauce had just the right amount of heat to complement the chicken without overpowering it. It was also a very easy dish, about 40 minutes from start to finish including the prep.