Vine-leaf chicken with green beans
Chicken breast is stuffed with feta and mint, wrapped in vine leaves and baked for a flash dinner-party-worthy presentation. Serve with green beans in a tomato sauce.
Ingredients
For the vine-leaf wrapped chicken
8 or more preserved vine leaves
150g feta
Pinch grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp mint, finely chopped
2 tbsp spring onions, finely chopped
4 chicken breasts, 180g each
Olive oil
For the green beans
500g baby green beans
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
400g canned tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tsp sugar
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground allspice
Sea salt and pepper
Method
For the chicken
Preheat oven to 200C. Rinse the vine leaves and pat dry. Mash the feta with the nutmeg, cinnamon, mint and spring onions.
Cut a slit in the side of each chicken breast, beginning at the thicker end. Open the incision with your fingers and spoon the stuffing into the pocket. Season well.
Lay out 2 or more overlapping vine leaves, vein side up, place a chicken breast on top, and wrap. Do the others, then brush with a little extra olive oil and bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
For beans
Cook the beans in simmering salted water for 5 mins, then drain, reserving half a cup of the water. Heat the oil in a small pan and fry the garlic until lightly golden. Add the tomatoes, the reserved water, sugar, spices, salt and pepper and cook, stirring for 10 mins.
Add the beans and cook for a further 5 minutes.
To serve: Cut the chicken across into thick slices and serve with the beans.
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- Green beans
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Jill Dupleix is a Good Food contributor and reviewer who writes the Know-How column.
