Goat Cheese and Balsamic Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Preheat your oven to a high temperature of 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over a moderate heat setting; cook and stir the shallot until it becomes translucent, taking around 5 minutes to achieve this. Next, pour balsamic vinegar into the skillet and bring it to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to a low setting and let it simmer until the balsamic vinegar mixture has reduced by half, requiring about 10 minutes of constant stirring.

Cut the chicken breasts in a horizontal direction from one side to the other, leaving about half an inch of space between them. Open up the two sides and flatten them out like a book.

Spread half of the goat cheese onto one half of each chicken breast, followed by drizzling 1/3 of the reduced balsamic vinegar mixture over the goat cheese. Close the chicken breasts over the filling and secure them with toothpicks to keep everything in place. Arrange the chicken into a baking dish, making sure they are not overlapping each other.

Drizzle the remaining 1/3 of the balsamic reduction over the chicken breasts before placing them in the preheated oven to bake.

Bake the chicken in the preheated oven until it reaches a safe internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), as indicated by an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of a filled breast. The chicken should be cooked through, with no pink color remaining inside and the juices running clear.