Roasted Broccoli with Garlic Chicken and Goat Cheese

Gee...did you need a longer title?
Oh well.

I. Love. Goat Cheese.
Let's me honest, I love cheese in general.
But goat cheese is just one of those things I really really crave.

So, I found this recipe and decided to give it a whirl.
I was nervous about the whole "roasting" part of the recipe, but it was actually very easy and really delicious.
I used regular goat cheese (NOT crumbled), because I like the creaminess of it.
Yes... we ate it as a meal...not a side dish. It was THAT yummy.

Trust me, if you like cheese, you'll like goat cheese, and this one is worth it!

Matti


Chicken and Broccoli Salad with Goat Cheese
From Tasty Kitchen

For the roasted broccoli and pepper:
1 large head of broccoli (about 1 3/4 lbs), cut into 1-2 inch florets
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips (*I used a green bell pepper... because the red one was $4 for a single pepper!!!)
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
pepper to taste

For the rest of the salad:
4 T olive oil
6 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
a couple pinches of crushed red pepper flakes
pinch of dried oregano
juice from 1/2 a lemon (about 2 T), plus additional lemon wedges for garnish
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3-4 ounces of goat cheese, crumbled (*I used 4 oz creamy goat cheese)

To prepare the broccoli:
Heat oven to 500 degrees and place a sturdy baking sheet on the lowest rack. Place broccoli florets and peppers slices in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper.

Working quickly, remove baking sheet from the oven and spread broccoli and peppers into an even layer, placing the florets cut-side down when possible. Return to bottom rack of the oven and roast 10-12 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through and there are caramelized spots scattered throughout. Be sure not to cook until the tips of the florets turn black.

To prepare the rest of the salad:
Heat 2 T olive oil, sliced garlic, and pepper flakes in a small skillet over med-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is soft and begins to turn golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add chicken to the skillet and cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes. Remove chicken-garlic mixture from heat; stir in oregano and lemon juice.

Toss roasted vegetables with the chicken-garlic mixture and an additional 2 T of olive oil in a large salad bowl. Gently fold in the goat cheese crumbles and serve immediately with lemon wedges.