Roquefort-Stuffed Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

En français ici.
The thing about weddings is that people want to give you presents. Sometimes they give you presents you've asked for. Sometimes they give you presents you would have asked for if you had thought of it. Sometimes they give you presents you never would have asked for in a million years. And sometimes...they give you Roquefort.


One of D's work colleagues gave us an assortment of Roquefort cheeses direct from the caves in the town of Roquefort and cheese plates to go with them (thank you Martine)! Now that's my kind of present. We immediately got some good bread and set out to taste them. The first one we tasted was the Roquefort from the Cave des Templiers. This turned out to be the wrong order because it was the most astringent of the three: very strong and more crumbly than creamy. The traditional Roquefort was predictably classic: creamy with just a nice amount of tang and delicious. But our very favorite for straight eating was the Caves Baragnaudes, stronger and more pungent than the classic, but still creamy. Mmmm.


Because the Roquefort Cave des Templiers (with its impressive mold spots) was a bit astringent for straight eating on bread, it stood to reason that it would be perfect for cooking. I gave it a try in chicken with mushrooms, accompanied by roasted vegetables from the CSA and it was just amazing.


For 2 people

2 chicken breasts
2 Tbsp mixed mushrooms
2 Tbsp Roquefort
2 tsp fresh parsley

2 zucchinis
3 small tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp cumin
salt, pepper


Preheat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC.

Pound the chicken breasts until they are a 1/2 inch thick. Place 1 tbsp mushrooms, 1 tbsp Roquefort and 1 tsp fresh parsley in each chicken breast and roll closed. Secure with kitchen string or toothpicks so the filling doesn't fall out. Place in the center of a baking pan.

Peel and quarter the garlic cloves. Chop the zucchinis and tomatoes into cubes. Toss zucchinis, tomatoes and garlic in a bowl with the olive oil, thyme, rosemary and cumin. Add to baking pan around the chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and put in the oven.

Cook about 40 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through, stirring from time to time and spooning the juices from the veggies onto the chicken. Serve hot and enjoy!