Random Recipe Challenge ~ Ricotta and Herb Baked Chicken

For this months Random Recipe Challenge, Dom decided to mix things up a little bit.  We each had to select the 18th book in our collection and select something from that to cook.  Book number 18 for me is Donna Hay's 'Simple Essentials - Chicken', oh how I wish the number had been number 17, then I would of got Donna Hay's 'Simple Essentials - Chocolate'!!!  But I wanted to do Dom's challenge justice this month seeing as I had slightly adjusted the rules last month and stuck fast to the chicken book.  Keeping true to my blog I needed to find a baked recipe and Donna did not fail ... as if she ever would!

Ricotta and Herb Baked Chicken
190g ricotta
1 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
1 tbsp chopped basil leaves
1 tbsp chopped oregano leaves
1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
4 x 200g chicken breast fillets
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
125ml chicken stock
Extra basil leaves, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180C.  Place the ricotta, rind, basil, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well to combine.  Use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the side of each chicken breast to create a pocket.  Spoon the ricotta mixture into the pockets.  Place the chicken in an ovenproof dish.  Add the tomatoes, garlic and stock and bake for 25 mins or until the chicken is cooked through.  Sprinkle with basil to serve.

Serves 4
Donna Hay, Simple Essentials - Chicken

We had this for dinner last Sunday night served with char grilled asparagus and some cherry tomatoes.  It was OK, not as special as I had hoped for but not a disaster either.  We would probably have this again but next time I would rather that the tomato sauce was a wee bit thicker so it could be served alongside the chicken, the vast majority of the sauce remained in the pot and was ultimately wasted because it was far too soupy to serve on a plate.  A shame but with a few tweaks here and there it has some potential ;0)