Chicken Breasts with Creamy Vegetable Topping

Ingredients

• 1  carrots grated
• 4  chicken breasts bone-in skinless
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil 
• 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 0.5 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper black
• 1  bell pepper red chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 2  scallions including tops green chopped

Equipment

• frying pan
• oven
• roasting pan

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 42
2. In a medium frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat.
3. Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the scallions and carrot and cook 2 minutes longer.
5. Mix the vegetables with the cream cheese, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper.
6. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with the remaining 1/4 teaspoons of salt and pepper.
7. Put the breasts in a roasting pan and spread them with the vegetable cream cheese.
8. Bake the chicken until just done, 20 to 25 minutes.
9. Menu Suggestions: The rich topping on the chicken leaves one wanting a simply prepared vegetable, such as steamed broccoli, asparagus, or green beans.
10. Variation: Chicken Breasts with Boursin-Cheese Sauce: Substitute a 5 1/2-ounce package of plain or garlic-and-herb-flavored Boursin cheese for the cream cheese.
11. Wine Recommendation: A crisp and fruity white will cut through the rich cheese and pair well with the acidity of the bell pepper and scallion. A kabinett riesling from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region of Germany or, if you can find it, a riesling from the Finger Lakes in New York is a good possibility.