CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH WILD RICE, GOAT CHEESE, BACON, AND DATES WITH APRICOT MAPLE SAUCE

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and coat a 9” x 13” baking dish with non-stick spray.

Cut the breasts in half lengthwise (butterfly) creating 2 thinner filets.   Place each piece in a large ziplock bag, one at a time, and pound each into an even ½” thickness all over.  Lay them side by side on a large cutting board and season with 1 teaspoon of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the black pepper.

To make the rice stuffing, combine the wild rice, goat cheese, dates, bacon and 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup in a large bowl and mix until well combined.  Divide this mixture evenly between all of the pounded chicken filets and roll the chicken jelly-roll-style over the filling. Place each roll into the prepared baking dish seam-side-down.

Drizzle the canola oil over the tops of the rolls and season them with the remaining half teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  Bake for 20 minutes and remove from the oven.

While the chicken is in the oven, make the sauce.  Combine the apricot preserves, Dijon, and the remaining ½ cup of maple syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat.   Whisk until the preserves melt and a smooth sauce forms.  When you remove the chicken from the oven, there will be some juices in the pan (if there are no juices add ¾ cup of chicken stock to the sauce).  Pour the juices into the sauce and whisk to combine.

Bring to a low boil. Combine the corn starch and water in a small bowl and whisk until the corn starch dissolves.  Add this to the sauce and whisk until a smooth, silky sauce forms.  Pour half of the sauce over the chicken in the pan to coat.  Place the pan back in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is just cooked through.

Serve the chicken with your favorite veg or a salad and drizzle more of that luscious sauce over the top.