Making the Most of Leftovers

So tonight I was cooking just for myself and didn't really feel up to exploring new recipes, so I turned to what was left in the fridge: a frozen chicken breast, some lemon basil ricotta, a fennel bulb, and a tomato. Doesn't sound like much does it?

Or does it?

Looks pretty tasty doesn't it? It was. And it was a Teresa original! Although I took a few notes from the stuffed chicken recipe I did a few weeks ago, the salad is a complete first--and turned out fantastic! I'd make both again.

The Ricotta Stuffing is originally from a Health Magazine. I made it again last week as a quick dinner, but had extra ricotta that worked perfectly as a quick stuffing for chicken as well. Did I mention everything tonight came from leftovers in the fridge?!

Stuffed Chicken with Lemon Ricotta 

• 2 Chicken Breasts, butterflied to create a pocket
• 1/4 c. Chicken Stock

Stuffing

• 1/2 c. Ricotta Cheese
• 1/2 t. lemon zest
• 1/2 T. lemon juice
• 2 T. Basil leaves, thinly chopped
• pinch of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the stuffing together, and add a heaping spoonful into the butterflied chicken breasts. Secure with toothpicks.
3. Heat an oven-safe skillet (cast iron if you have it) with a little oil and add the chicken breasts when it's reached a medium-high heat. Brown both sides of the breasts (3-4 minutes), remove from heat, and add chicken stock. Let the steam die down, then cover and place in an oven for 15 minutes.

Fennel Salad with Tomatoes and Parsley
The Salad could have been just a bunch of ingredients thrown together, but I decided to saute the fennel for a few minutes first. Not only did it loosen up some of the stronger liquorice notes, it also helped the fennel grab on to some of the other flavors in the salad.

• 1 fennel bulb, diced
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1/2 c. garbanzo beans, drained and rinse
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 T. Parmesan cheese
• Dash of salt/pepper

1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet to medium heat, and add in fennel. Saute for a few minutes until slightly tender. Remove from heat and add in garbanzo beans. Cool to room temperature.
2. Combined remaining ingredients with fennel in a bowl, add a little more lemon juice as needed, and serve!