Goat’s cheese chicken with warm lentils & sweet beets

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
Stuffing and wrapping chicken breasts works brilliantly for entertaining, letting you get most of the work done before any of your guests arrive

Prep:30 mins
Cook:40 mins

Serves 6
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 661
fat 28g
saturates 8g
carbs 43g
sugars 14g
fibre 0g
protein 62g
salt 2.52g

Ingredients

500g raw beetroot, peeled and cut into wedges
12 shallots, halved if large
3 tbsp clear honey
6 tbsp mild olive oil
1 lemon, zest and juice
350g Puy lentils
1 big garlic clove, roughly chopped
2 tbsp capers
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
100g bag mixed green leaves
6 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
150g tub Chavroux soft goat's cheese
20g pack flat-leaf parsley, chopped
18 rashers thin-cut smoked streaky bacon

Method

Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put the beetroot and shallots into a roasting tin, drizzle with honey and 1 tbsp oil, season, then toss well. Cover with foil, then roast for 1 hr, turning after 30 mins and leaving the foil off. Splash half the lemon juice over the veg when they’re ready, then set aside. Can be made up to 1 day ahead.
Meanwhile, boil the lentils, then drain and rinse well. Make a dressing by whizzing the garlic, capers, remaining oil, lemon juice and mustard together with seasoning. Add a couple tbsp water to loosen. Set aside.
Turn the chicken breasts upside down, then pull each mini fillet to the side, without detaching it. Cut a pocket into the thickest part of the fillet. Repeat with the rest. Mix the lemon zest with the goat’s cheese, half the parsley and seasoning, then stuff about 1 tsp cheese into each pocket. Fold the mini fillets back over to seal. Wrap each breast in 3 rashers of bacon, then sit on a baking tray. Can be prepared up to a day ahead. Roast with the veg for 20 mins until the bacon is crisp and cooked through.
To serve, warm the lentils in the pan, stir the remaining parsley into most of the dressing, then tip in the warm lentils. Spoon onto plates with some of the roast beets and shallots, scatter over the salad leaves, top with the chicken, sliced in half, then drizzle over remaining dressing.