PHOTOGRAPHY BY: CATHY NELSON ARKLE

What do you get when you cross a chicken, a goat and a strawberry?

Today’s recipe… which is no joke. “Chicken with Goat Cheese and Strawberry Sauce” is the creation of Celebrity Fitness / Lifestyle Coach & Healthy Gourmet Chef Rona Lewis from her latest book “Does this Cookbook Make Me Look Fat – Vol. 2.” I purchased this book after meeting Rona in a cooking class at BLT on Sunset Blvd. I’m having the best time cooking my way through this humorous and healthy cookbook.

If I wanted to win your heart via your stomach, I would make today’s recipe for you.  If I needed to keep your heart healthy, your weight in check, and make sure you had lots of vitamin C, K, B6, manganese, selenium & niacin…I would still make Rona’s recipe.

I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive about making this recipe. I haven’t been a fan of chicken since childhood when my Grandma Nelson raised and “harvested” chickens on our farm.  One hot summer day I returned from a trail ride on my horse, Pidge. The open barn door offered an invitation from the heat, and she bolted through as I hung on for the ride. Unbeknownst to me, Grandma had hung “dinner” across the entrance to the barn.  I was not prepared for this “in your face” welcoming from my recently deceased friends. (My childhood issue with chickens was lost after devouring this recipe)

Chicken craziness:

There are more chickens than people in the world.  You should have no trouble procuring the ingredients for this recipe!

Chickens were first domesticated for cockfighting.  Could it be their impressive genealogy that makes them a natural for combat?  Research has found that chickens are the closest living relative to Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Until then, we will have to settle for cockfights “Family Guy” style.

Today’s Featured Recipe:  You will Rule the Roost with this recipe. If you have any leftover strawberry sauce it is great on ice cream.

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Chicken with Goat Cheese and Strawberry Sauce

Reprinted from “Does This Cookbook Make Me Look Fat - Vol. 2” with permission

Calories 251 kcal

Author Rona Lewis

Ingredients

• 3 C fresh strawberries cut into pieces
• 2 T balsamic vinegar
• 3 T strawberry spread- no sugar
• Black Pepper
• 6 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 12 thin slices of goat cheese about ½ oz each
• 24 basil leaves – slivered
• Olive oil spray
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• ¼ C fresh basil – slivered for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large Pyrex bowl, mix the strawberries, vinegar & strawberry spread together. Put aside.
2. Make a horizontal cut almost through each chicken breast. Open the top half and sprinkle a large pinch of basil on one side. Take two slices of goat cheese and place them on the basil leaves. Sprinkle a touch more basil on top. Replace the top half. Sprinkle with pepper.
3. In a 4 quart metal or oven-safe skillet, spray with olive oil. Over med-high heat, cook garlic for about 30 seconds. Add chicken breasts and brown for about 4 minutes on each side. Then, place both the skillet and Pyrex bowl of strawberries into the oven. Cook for 10 minutes. Take chicken out and let it rest on the stove. Cook berries another 5 minutes. Take out of oven and stir. Serve chicken with sauce. Sprinkle with basil leaves.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: CATHY NELSON ARKLE

Other strawberry ideas:

If you can’t eat enough strawberries to make you happy this summer, you will love Rona’s other recipe Strawberry & Goat Cheese Bruschetta