"Adventures in the Kitchen" - Avocado Stuffed Chicken

I love me some avocado! It is seriously one of my favorite foods.

So the other day I had some chicken thawing on the counter and thought to myself... "Is it possible to make a meal with chicken and avocado that ISN'T a sandwich?"

Lo and behold, this recipe for Avocado Stuffed Chicken over at About.com came up. The site even had a video on how to make the dish which is great for the beginner cook. I was a bit intimidated to make it at first since I've never stuffed anything before, but it was surprisingly easy.

Since there is already a video showing exactly what to do, I didn't take the time to document every step in the cooking process.

I was however very proud of the work I created so here is our dinner in all its Avocado Stuffed Chicken, Quinoa and Aparagus glory.

And a couple of shots to show you how well the chicken stayed stuffed.

The Hubs and I both really like the dish! It had a lot of flavor and felt really gourmet to eat even though it was super easy to make.

Here's the full recipe as transcribed from About . com

Avocado-Stuffed Chicken Ingredients

For this recipe, you will need:

• 4 chicken breasts, pounded flat
• 2 avocados
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup fresh, minced basil leaves
• 1 large diced tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• pepper mill

Slice the Avocados

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the avocados lengthwise all the way around. Twist the halves and using your knife, strike and remove the pit.

With a large spoon, scoop the avocado out of its peel. Then, with a small paring knife, slice the avocado lengthwise.

Make the Stuffing Mixture

Place the slices in a mixing bowl. Add the lime juice, the pepper, the garlic powder, the minced basil, the diced tomato, and the chopped onion. Mix this all together.

Stuff the Chicken Breasts

Next, lightly oil a baking dish with cooking spray. Now, lay a piece of chicken out on a flat surface.

Scoop out a spoonful of the mixture and lay it onto a chicken breast. Roll the meat over the mixture and tuck in the ends.

Place the stuffed chicken in the dish. Do this with all of the chicken; aim to use just about half of your avocado mixture. Then sprinkle the top of the chicken with the cracked peppercorns.

Bake the Avocado Stuffed Chicken

Place them in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. I like to serve this chicken with brown rice. Lay a piece of chicken against the rice and then spoon the more of the avocado mixture all around the chicken.