Chicken with Goat Cheese, Rosemary and Lemon Stuffing

While it might sound a bit too Martha for some of you, but I keep goat cheese in the fridge year-round. It's great in a spinach salad. I sprinkled some over right-out-of-the-oven roasted beets the other night. (My other half is like a kid when I tell him we're having beets. "With goat cheese?" he giddily asks.) And if you have it on hand, you can make a delicious dinner like this with those ubiquitous chicken breasts you can't ever come up with something to do with.

(Note: The goat cheese mixture would also be great a as a crostini spread...)

Chicken with Goat Cheese, Rosemary and Lemon Stuffing
Makes 6 servings.
From Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine.

8 ounces (about 3/4 cup) soft goat cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) butter, melted (In an attempt at heart-healthiness, I substituted olive oil for the butter.)

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, rosemary and lemon peel; set aside. Using a small sharp knife, cut into the side of each chicken breast half to create a pocket. Stuff each chicken breast with about 1 1/2 tablespoons goat cheese mixture and secure with a toothpick.

In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and set aside. Place the bread crumbs in another shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add half the melted butter to the bread crumbs and combine. Keep the remaining butter warm for basting.

Cover a baking sheet with foil. Dip each stuffed chicken breast in the egg and then in the bread crumbs to coat; set on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 45 minutes, drizzling with the remaining butter every 15 minutes.