Zucchini and Walnut Stuffed Chicken

I got a little crazy with dinner tonight. Chicken had been thawed, and I wasn't excited about it, so I set the creative wheels turning. Luckily, I went grocery shopping today, so I had a fully stocked kitchen to work with!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1 small zuchinni, shredded
4 thin sliced chicken breasts
salt, pepper, spices of choice

To begin, I toasted the walnuts in a dry pan. While those were working, I shredded a small zucchini with the small holes of my box grater. It produced about 3/4 cup, but then I squeezed out all of the liquid, and it reduced to about 1/2 cup. Set both aside, but keep the pan - that's what we're going to cook the chicken in.

I layed my 4 chicken breasts out on my cutting board and divided the shredded zucchini and toasted walnuts into 4 piles. First, I smeared the zucchini over the chicken breast, then seasoned with salt, pepper, and some various spices. Next, I put the walnuts. Here's what they looked like - pre-wrap.

I toasted whole walnuts, but really should have chopped them first. I wasn't thinking ahead and with the whole walnuts they were a little hard to wrap and the toothpicks couldn't slide easily through without hitting some walnut obstacles. I just did a loose wrap and threaded the toothpicks in seams to hold it together. I wasn't looking for a complete neat little package, basically I just wanted it held together.

I cut up 2 whole carrots and put them in a small saucepan with 2 cups of vegetable stock. Then, I added 1 cup of quinoa and cooked for 10 minutes, following package directions.

After I finished rolling the chicken, I put them in the previously used pan with a little bit of olive oil, over medium heat. Because I wanted to make sure the chicken was cooked on the inside, I threw a lid on it. Some of the walnuts fell out during cooking, but I think that would be eliminated if they were chopped, not whole.

Because the quinoa took 10 minutes, I cooked the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side. I love when everything can be timed to finish right on top of one another. Sometimes I forget to get something started and end up with a couple minutes to kill, trying to keep something warm, or turning the heat way up to try and hurry something along.

The chicken was really juicy, the walnuts were a good crunch, and the zucchini was full of flavor and I think what kept the chicken moist. I just served with a big spoonful of the carrot quinoa on the side.

The great thing about a dish like this, is that if you like it - you can re-make it over and over, but different each time! I could easily substitute any vegetable or nut I had on hand and the cooking process would be the same, but an entirely different flavor each time. I love adding new twists to existing recipes so I don't tire them out!

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