Boursin Chicken

So quick and simple!  So yummy!

This dish is very easy to make and it's so gourmet! 

You start with what ever kind of chicken parts you want, though I would recommend ones that have few bones.  

Rinse and dry the chicken with paper towels, then place them in a olive oil coated shallow dish that has been coated on the inside.  Make only one layer in the bottom so the chicken does not overlap.  Salt and pepper the chicken, turn it over and doing the same to the other side.

As you can see, I coated chicken breasts (pounded flat to about 3/4 inch thick) with my favorite seasoned bread crumbs and fried them before putting them into the baking dish.  This is an optional step and is more fattening.  However, it does add a bit more flavor and time to prepare, but less time to bake.  

 Place the Boursin cheese rounds in the middle of the dish atop the chicken. 

Pour enough white wine of your choice over the cheese and chicken so there is approximately 1/4 inch up the side of the baking dish. 

Place this into a preheated oven at 375 degrees.

About 15 minutes into the baking process, pull the oven rack out so you can use the back of a large spoon or a spatula to mix the cheeses if you use different flavors like I do. Then spread this over the chicken as evenly as possible.  Push the chicken dish and rack back into the oven and let it cook for another 25 minutes or so (15 if you fried or browned the chicken in a skillet first) . 

You don't want overcooked chicken.  It's dry!  So keep checking to see if it's bubbling, and remove after 5 minutes of first seeing this.  If you use thick pieces that have not been pounded thin, cut a the middle of one to see if it's still pink.  Return it to the oven if it's not done and check it again in about 10 minutes. 

I served the Boursin Chicken with another 2 other dishes that needed to go into the oven to bake.  That way I had time to set the table, open a bottle of wine to drink with dinner, and clean up before sitting down to eat.  A vegetable casserole (I used the eggplant one with orange bell peppers added to it), or scalloped potatoes would be a good choice.  Also, baked onions, either large ones cut in half or the baby Vidalia's you see in the picture above.  What ever your choice of vegetable, it's a great dinner for company, or on a cold winters day.

Wine:  Pictured with dinner here, is a 2008 Syrah from Spain.  It went incredibly well with this meal.  Whites from Spain will also go well, such as Verdejo or blend.  Argentina whites or California chardonnay is a good choice.  If you want a red, I would recommend a French Beaujolais, or a good chianti from Italy.  Chateau St. Jean, a winery in the Sonoma Valley, makes a nice chardonnay called Belle Terre (beautiful earth or land), which I highly recommend.  Robert Parker (my wine hero) rated the 2005 "93" points.  It's a steal for $18.00.