Basil & Emmental Stuffed Chicken

This started out with two chicken breasts and a "holy god, what am I going to cook for dinner tonight" conundrum... it ended with a very delicious dinner in 30 minutes.  I had basil on the windowsill, cheese in the fridge and an oven ready to go... so it was a case of pick & wash, slice and scatter.  I have a pot of crispy onions which I tend to pick at while I'm cooking (a very bad habit), so I scattered a handful of these over the cheese as well.

I served the chicken with a fast (pepper-free) Ratatouille and some pan roasted Gnocchi (info at the bottom of the post).  We both would have eaten it again, such was the deliciousness of the dinner!  If you want to posh up the chicken, wrap it in some Parma Ham before you roast it in the oven.

 Basil & Emmental Stuffed Chicken

2 Chicken Breasts
12 large Basil leaves, washed
2 slices of Emmental cheese
1 tbsp Crispy Onions
1 tsp Rapeseed Oil
Freshly ground Pepper

Heat your oven to 200c/Gas Mark 6.

Slice the chicken breasts horizontally along the length so you have almost a book shape.

Open out the chicken breasts & line with half of the basil leaves.  Top with the cheese & crispy onions and place the last of the basil on the top.

Close over the chicken breast, rub with the oil & season with the pepper.  Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Pan-Roasted Gnocchi

These are the easiest, most addictive little crunchy pillows of yum you'll ever make.

All you need is a pack of fresh gnocchi (normally vacuum packed), a big frying pan & some rapeseed oil - it doesn't burn like olive oil.

Heat a tbsp of oil in the pan, sprinkle the gnocchi into the pan & fry on a low to medium heat for about 15 minutes, shaking the pan frequently until they're golden & puffy on all sides.  Season with salt & pepper and serve