i heart goat cheese

If there's one thing I could request at every meal, it'd be goat cheese. I love it! My favorite restaurant in my parents' town has the BEST goat cheese salad (with a vanilla bean vinaigrette) which goes great with the fusion sushi that we order. Here, in my town, there's a microbrewery that has goat cheese flatbread and another tasty goat cheese salad - but this one has candied cashews, strawberries and mandarin oranges. YUM!

So, when I came across this recipe, I knew it'd be perfect. It is SUPER easy to make and very tasty. My hubby and I thought it was pretty fantastic and would consider serving it to entertain with, if we actually had room to entertain....

Herb and Goat Cheese Chicken Roulade

8 oz. goat cheese, softened

1 1/2 tsp. each fresh sage, marjoram and thyme, chopped

1 tsp. fresh rosemary

2 chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thick

4 slices prosciutto

1/2 c. AP flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs

olive oil

Start by mixing the goat cheese with the fresh herbs (we cheated - bought herbed goat cheese, as it was cheaper but would use fresh if it were on hand). Set aside. Pound the chicken to 1/4 inch thick. Cut in half lengthwise. Season with salt and pepper. Place 1 slice of prosciutto on each chicken breast. Divide goat cheese mixture evenly between each breast and spread across the prosciutto. Roll up each breast and tuck in the ends to secure cheese (I became a master at weaving chicken with toothpicks). Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, then to the egg and then roll and thoroughly coat chicken with panko bread crumbs. Heat olive oil (about 4 tbsp.) in a medium skillet and lightly saute each side until lightly browned. If you have a cooling rack for baking, place it on a large sheet pan (this helps the air circulate around the chicken and will keep it crispy). Transfer the chicken to the rack or directly to the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until cooked through. If you used toothpicks, don't forget to remove.

Of all places, this came in the Fresh Market magazine that I got in the mail. One look at the picture and I was sold. Very tasty - give it a try!