Apple-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Kale Pesto
Here's a wonderful fact about the metabolism: Pleasure is slimming. When you enjoy your food, you reduce your stress hormones and give your body permission to burn fat. Eating bland "diet food" you don't like is stressful and unsatisfying. Stress is fattening. Food is meant to be beautiful, delicious, natural. I want you to revel in it, to fall in love with it all over again. When you make peace with food, your metabolism thrives!
Maintenance | Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes | Total time: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup walnuts
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 small chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups peeled, cored, thinly sliced apples
8 slices nitrate-free, sugar-free turkey bacon
8 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In the jar of a blender, chop the garlic. Add the next 7 ingredients (kale through black pepper). Blend until smooth.
- Slice each chicken breast horizontally, but not all the way through – leave it attached at one side so you can open it like a book. Cover with plastic wrap and pound with a kitchen mallet to about ¼ inch thick. Uncover. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Spread ¼ of the pesto over each chicken breast. Top each with ¼ of the apple slices. Roll up the chicken breasts with the apple slices inside and wrap two slices of bacon around each roll, securing it with toothpicks.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, and top with a wire rack. Arrange the chicken breasts on the rack. Bake 30 minutes. Turn on the broiler, and broil 5 minutes to crisp the bacon.
- Divide the romaine lettuce among four plates, and top each with a chicken breast.
Variations:
- Make this with turkey breasts or skirt steak instead of chicken.
- Try pears, peaches, nectarines, or plums instead of apples.
Here's a wonderful fact about the metabolism: Pleasure is slimming. When you enjoy your food, you reduce your stress hormones and give your body permission to burn fat. Eating bland "diet food" you don't like is stressful and unsatisfying. Stress is fattening. Food is meant to be beautiful, delicious, natural. I want you to revel in it, to fall in love with it all over again. When you make peace with food, your metabolism thrives!
Maintenance | Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes | Total time: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup walnuts
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 small chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups peeled, cored, thinly sliced apples
8 slices nitrate-free, sugar-free turkey bacon
8 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In the jar of a blender, chop the garlic. Add the next 7 ingredients (kale through black pepper). Blend until smooth.
- Slice each chicken breast horizontally, but not all the way through – leave it attached at one side so you can open it like a book. Cover with plastic wrap and pound with a kitchen mallet to about ¼ inch thick. Uncover. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Spread ¼ of the pesto over each chicken breast. Top each with ¼ of the apple slices. Roll up the chicken breasts with the apple slices inside and wrap two slices of bacon around each roll, securing it with toothpicks.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, and top with a wire rack. Arrange the chicken breasts on the rack. Bake 30 minutes. Turn on the broiler, and broil 5 minutes to crisp the bacon.
- Divide the romaine lettuce among four plates, and top each with a chicken breast.
Variations:
- Make this with turkey breasts or skirt steak instead of chicken.
- Try pears, peaches, nectarines, or plums instead of apples.
