This hasselback chicken is made using halloumi cheese and comes with a delicious, refreshing fresh herb sauce. Perfect for entertaining, but easy enough to enjoy as a weeknight dinner. Ready in just over 30 minutes.
See also hasselback salmon!
This hasselback chicken is a colourful, delicious dish requiring surprisingly little effort. Preparation takes less than 10 minutes and while the dish is in the oven you can prepare a refreshing herb sauce as well as any sides to go with your chicken.
What is hasselbacking
Hasselbacking is a cooking method created in the 1950's in Stockholm, Sweden, in a restaurant called Hasselbacken. It was originally used to add more flavour to potatoes by slicing the potato thinly across the top ⅔ of the way down and stuffing with herbs, spices and other ingredients before cooking.
This method is simple yet produces impressive results and can also be used with other vegetables as well as meats, including chicken.
What is hasselback chicken
The hasselback technique is a quick way to add lots of flavour to chicken without the need to marinate it. It involves cutting slits in the chicken breast along its width which create more surface area for coated with spices and herbs. The slits can also be filled with various ingredients - in this case, halloumi.
In this hasselback chicken recipe the entire surface of the chicken is rubbed in fragrant harissa paste before baking. This allows the flavours to penetrate the meat as well as the halloumi, which also adds a rich, savoury twist to this recipe.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken breast: Use skinless, boneless chicken breasts.
- Halloumi: Use plain or flavoured halloumi (with herbs, for instance). Halloumi softens but keeps its shape in cooking so it won’t melt and ooze out of the chicken. Use mozzarella if you prefer (it won't keep its shape as well).
- Harissa paste: If your harissa paste is quite thick add a bit of oil to loosen the consistency (harissa paste in a tube tends to be thicker than the jarred variety).
- Pine nuts: Add crunch. Use crushed hazelnuts or almond flakes instead if desired.
Herb sauce ingredients
- Cilantro/fresh coriander: Use both leaves as well as stems. Substitute parsley or Thai basil if preferred.
- Oil: Use any good quality vegetable oil (cold-pressed rapeseed, grapeseed, sunflower etc).
- Lemon juice: Adds zest.
- Garlic: Adds flavour.
- Maple syrup: Enhances the flavour, but can be replaced by a little honey.
- Seasoning: Brings all the flavours together.
Can I use different spices
Yes, you can! Hasselback chicken can be made using lots of different flavour combinations. For example, you can coat your chicken in cajun, chipotle, bbq or jerk spices (either in paste form or combined with a little oil). You can still add the halloumi and serve it with the fresh herb sauce as per Instructions.
Top tip
If your chosen spice mix does not contain any salt season the chicken lightly before baking.
How to hasselback chicken breast
1.Place the chicken breast on top of a cutting board cut side down.
2. Place 2 wooden spoons parallel to one another on both sides of the chicken lengthwise and slice it 4-6 times across the top ⅔ of the way down.
You can also do this without the help of the spoons but make sure you do NOT cut all the way through (each chicken breast needs to stay in one piece).
Good to know
Chicken breasts are thicker than chicken thighs so work better in hasselbacking.
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1.Preheat the oven to 400 F/ 200 C/ gas mark 6. Line a medium size baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Hasselback the chicken (as above).
Coat the entire surface of the chicken in the harissa paste as thoroughly as possible (rub inside the cuts as well) and transfer onto the baking sheet. Coat the pine nuts in the leftover harissa mixture.
2. Place slices of halloumi inside the slits, scatter the pine nuts over each chicken breast and bake in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes or until fully cooked and the juices run clear.
3. While the chicken is in the oven make the herb sauce. Place all the ingredients in a small blender and puree. Season to taste.
4. Remove your hasselback chicken from the oven, drizzle over the herb sauce and serve immediately.
Serving suggestions
This hasselbacked chicken main is delicious with rice, couscous, mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables as well as steamed vegetables and crispy salad.
If you prefer not to serve it with the herb sauce you can simply scatter freshly chopped cilantro or parsley over the top and drizzle with lemon juice.
Top tips
- Preparation: be careful not to cut right through the chicken.
- There is no need to season the chicken (both the harissa as well as halloumi are salty), but I recommend lightly seasoning the herb sauce.
- Bake the chicken just until fully cooked (the juices should run clear).
- To save time make the herb sauce while the chicken is in the oven. Refrigerate it, covered, until you are ready to serve your dish. You can make the sauce up to 2 hours in advance.
- Best served immediately (the halloumi hardens as it cools so it’s best eaten warm).
- Hasselback chicken leftovers can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
How to freeze this recipe
Assemble your hasselback chicken recipe then freeze unbaked in an airtight container without the herb sauce. Defrost fully before baking. Make the sauce while the chicken is in the oven.
Top tip
If using previously frozen chicken breast do NOT freeze this recipe.
Related recipes
- Vegan Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Herbs
- Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Stuffed Chicken
- Grilled Eggplant Halloumi Sandwich
- Cauliflower Rice Crusted Chicken
- Chicken Kiev Roll-Ups
Check out also these other easy meals including this collection of healthy chicken recipes!
Keep in touch!
If you make this hasselback chicken recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Did you make any substitutions? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Recipe
Hasselback Halloumi Chicken
Equipment
- Food processor
- Medium baking sheet and parchment
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts skinless, boneless
- 3 tablespoons harissa paste **see Notes
- 7.05 ounces (200 g) halloumi cheese cut into approx. 3 mm thick slices
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
For the herb sauce
- 1 (25 g) small bunch cilantro/fresh coriander coarsely chopped
- 2½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small garlic clove chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅔ teaspoon maple syrup
- Fine sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F/ 200 C/ gas mark 6. Line a medium size baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.To prepare the chicken cut each chicken breast ⅔ of the way down approx. 4-6 times across the top (depending on the size of the chicken). *see Notes below
- Coat the entire surface of the chicken in the harissa paste as thoroughly as possible (rub inside the cuts as well) and transfer onto the baking sheet. Coat the pine nuts in the leftover harissa mixture.
- Place slices of halloumi inside the cuts, scatter the pine nuts over each chicken breast and bake in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes or until fully cooked and the juices run clear.
- While the chicken is in the oven make the herb sauce. Place all the ingredients in a small blender and puree. Season to taste.
- Remove the chicken from the oven, drizzle over the herb sauce and serve immediately.
Notes
- *To hasselback the chicken you can place 2 wooden spoons parallel to one another on both sides of the chicken lenghtwise and slice it 4-6 times across the top ⅔ of the way down.
- **If your harissa paste is quite thick add a bit of oil to loosen the consistency (harissa paste in a tube tends to be thicker than the jarred variety).
- There is no need to add any salt to the chicken (both the harissa as well as halloumi are salty), but I recommend seasoning the herb sauce.
- To save time make the herb sauce while the chicken is in the oven. Refrigerate it, covered, until you are ready to serve your dish. You can make the sauce up to 2 hours in advance.
- Best served immediately (the halloumi hardens as it cools so it’s best eaten warm). Serve with rice, couscous or roasted vegetables as well as steamed vegetables and crispy salad.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freeze the hasselback chicken, unbaked, in an airtight container without the herb sauce. Defrost fully before baking. Make the herb sauce while the chicken is in the oven.
- Cilantro/fresh coriander: Use parsley or thai basil instead.
- Pine nuts: Substitute crushed hazelnuts or almonds (blanched).
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
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