Blue Cheese Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

• Water

  Plain, clean water

  ⅓ cup or 79g

• Balsamic vinegar

  2 ½ tbsp or 40g

• Vegetable oil

  Natreon canola, high stability, non trans, high oleic (70%)

  1 tbsp or 14g

• Blue cheese

  4 oz or 113g

• Chicken breast

  Broilers or fryers, meat only, raw

  16 oz or 454g

• Salt

  Table

  1 tsp or 6g

• Pepper

  Spices, black

  ½ tsp or 1g

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F with the rack in the middle position.
2. Slice the cheese into 1-ounce pieces.
3. Pat the chicken breasts dry, then cut a deep 3-inch-long pocket horizontally in the long curved side of each breast.
4. Fill each pocket with one-quarter of the cheese. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
5. Heat the oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Place the chicken, skin side down, in the skillet and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown, about 4 minutes.
6. Turn the breasts over, then place the skillet in the oven and bake until just cooked through to 165°F, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter.
7. Return the skillet to the burner (handle will be very hot) and add water and vinegar. Boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits and melted cheese, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.
8. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof measuring cup, then skim off excess fat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the chicken with the sauce.