Most of you are familiar with dolmades, where small packets of rice and aromatics are bundled using grape-vine leaves or “ampelofyla” in Greek. These small morsels may also contain meat or be wrapped with Swiss chard cabbage. The cabbage rolls are also often called “lahano-dolmades”.
The use of grape-vine leaves is not limited to just wrapping rice. There are many recipes in Greek cooking where fish also get wrapped in the vine leaves. The briny (preserved) vine leaves become a kind of “second skin” and and a flavour to whatever you’re wrapping. I love these grilled sardines wrapped in grape-vine leaves!
Today, we’re wrapping chicken breast. Each year (around June), I go to a plot in the city where grape vine leaves grow freely and without fear of any chemicals being sprayed by the city or gardeners. I pick the tender leaves, wash and jar them rolled-up like cigars in a brine solution.
You can and will find jarred grape-wine leaves at many supermarkets and surely at a Greek, Turkish or Middle-Eastern store. Just ask the clerk where they are and they will point to the long rows and varieties (brands) of jarred grape leaves available to you. While you’re also at that Greek deli (I know that’s where you prefer to go), pick up some Feta cheese. Ask the clerk where they are made? Ask for the Feta made in Greece, the cheese is always made from goat, sheep or a combination of both to make authentic Feta cheese.
Most of our remaining ingredients you already have: boneless chicken breast, sun-dried tomatoes, scallions or chives, salt and pepper and a Spring. herb. I used lemon verbena. It’s one of my favourite herbs, one that grows in Greece and the Mediterranean as “Luisa”. It was brought back to Europe after being discovered by Columbus in South America. It was a gift to Queen Luisa.
Lemon verbena has a lemon, slightly sweet aroma that will remind you of mint. I have my own plant/tree here in Canada and more and more nurseries are carrying this under-rated herb. If you cannot find this herb at your nursery, some better tea shops will carry it dried or you can try a health food store.
If I’ve sent you on a wild goose chase and you’re really hungry by now, then use some fresh mint, thyme or tarragon with some lemon zest and mash that into your Feta with a fork. In think this substitute would also taste great.
This dish tasted complex, despite the small amount of ingredients used: chicken breast, Feta, scallions, lemon verbena, seasoning and the grape-vine leaves. As I alluded to earlier, the vine leaves become a kind of second skin to the chicken and given the dish a slightly briny yet tangy flavour. The Feta becomes slightly creamy with just the scallions to soften the tart cheese and the lemon verbena giving the meal a “je ne sai quois”.
Vine-leaf Chicken Stuffed with Feta
(serves 4)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh lemon verbena
(or substitute with 1 tsp. of lemon zest with thyme, mint or tarragon)
4 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 cup of crumbled Feta cheese
8-12 grape vine leaves
some olive oil
coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Pre-heated 375F oven
- In a bowl, add your crumbled Feta, scallions, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon verbena and some biack pepper to taste. Mash together and mix with a fork. Set aside.
- Thorough rinse your chicken breasts and pat-dry. Using the end of your sharpening steel, make a hole through the thick (widest) end of your chicken breast (careful not to pierce the other end). Remove the steel and stick your finger in the breast and enlarge the cavity in the breast.
- Now press the filling into each cavity with your finger until each breast is almost full (press the filling as far in as possible). Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Lay two or three overlapping vine leaves on your work surface and place the chicken breast on top. Now wrap the grape leaves around your chicken breasts. Brush the outside of each chicken breast with some olive oil and lightly coat a baking tray with oil.
- Place the chicken breasts inside your pre-heated 375F oven (middle rack) for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to rest for a few minutes before slicing. Serve with a seasonal salad and some mushroom and wild rice pilaf.
- Serve with a Tselepos Chardonnay.
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© 2007-2010 Peter Minakis
31 Responses
Once again I want to eat what you’ve made! This really does look amazing Peter!!
This looks and sounds delicious. Will have to make it soon. Thanks for your flavorful ideas!
That’s a recipe i’d love to try! I love that use of vine leaves…
Cheers,
Rosa
I tried rolling my chicken in vine leaves and couldn’t resist adding a lemon sauce. I love the flavours here in your dish Peter with the feta and tomatoes.
This looks marvelous, Peter, and I’m really intrigued by the lemon verbena. The feta stuffing sounds really good with that sun dried tomato mixed in. I was surprised to see how quickly this cooks in the oven, too. Another thing that caught my attention was the mention of a different sardine dish. I’m a huge (and lonely!) sardine fan, and am always interested in recipes containing that marvelous, underrated little fish. :-)
I used to grow lemon verbena and never knew quite what to do with it. The fragrance is unforgettable. Now at least I have some way to use it. Great looking dish.
This makes me want to eat chicken! It looks super moist. Very creative too – now this is what I call Greek cookin!
this looks excellent – good way to make use of high quality greek ingredients in a creative way
I love the use of vine leaves, never tasted this recipe, I would love to try it :)
i’m always excited when you post a chicken recipe, peter, and you’ve definitely delivered here! this poultry looks amazing.
Oh Peter, these look so fantastic! Its too close to dinner for me to be looking at something this good.
Looks good … restaurant worthy even Peter!
I have grape leaves in my garden. I guess I have to brine them before I use them in this recipe?
I’ll have to purchase the grape leaves, but I do have lemon verbena growing in my garden. What a fantastic recipe Peter! This is one for summer noshing.
it is very interesting recipe!Looks fantastic!
so you go to a plot and pick vine leaves? which plot? is it a cemetary? if so, beware, your soul might become in grave danger.
I have never seen this dish, nor heard of sardines wrapped in vine leaves, which sounds like a psychedelic experience. This chicken dish is very creative I must say, and I would not mind a mouthful to check it out;
This is making me very hungry this morning! The stuffing looks incredible. Great to learn that lemon verbena is called Luisa.
Oh my, oh my. This looks wonderful. Spring on a plate.
I bet the vine leaves keep those chicken breasts so soft and moist. Feta and sun-dried tomatoes are my favorite ingredients for stuffing to!!
I like the sound of wrapping chicken with vine leaves and it looks amazing!
Great use for the wine-leaf, Peter. I love the idea. Feta filling…couldn’t get better!
A great chicken recipe Peter. Sometimes chicken, especially breast can taste a bit bland. I have never cooked with lemon verbena, isn’t it supposed to make you drowsy? Anyway, I read recently that a California dairy (Karoun dairies) won a gold medal in the Feta category at the 2010 World Championship Cheese Contest. Although I do support Greek Feta cheese, it is possible to find good examples outside of Greece especially if they are artisan made. It might not be Greek feta, but it can be a good cheese to eat.
I am yet to cook a stuffed chicken breast and have been longing to do one. this looks so absolutely scrumptious.
What a great idea to use vineleaves. While I am not a really big fan of Dolmades by boyfriend is so he will probably go wild if I make this and it looks gorgeous too.
I’d love to try vine wrapped sardines! This chicken dish looks amazing.
aaaaaaaahhhhh! this look really, really gooodddd!!!!!
now I’m a Greek cousine fan!!
Love your blog and your cooking…………………………maybe………………..just maybe…..in another life…………..I was from Greece??????? mmm? maybe…..
saludos desde el norte de Mexico
This looks superb – a wonderful dish.
What an original use of grape leaves! That stuffing looks absolutely fabulous.
Dear Pete,
Just discovered your blog today, while looking for another of your recipes (stuffed grape leaves with beef). Great directions, ideas and pictures. Interested in following your blog for some good Greek recipes, however any chance you can add nutrition info? While feeding my Greek family some great traditional foods, I need to keep myself in check… Thanks and καλή όρεξη!