Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Rosemary and Goat Cheese

If it's true that you are what you eat, then I am a boneless, skinless chicken breast.

In my house, we bake, broil and stir-fry boneless, skinless chicken breasts. We pan-sear and grill them. We marinate, sauce and skewer them. There are always a few in the freezer and a container or two of some leftover in the fridge.

And why not? Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are low calorie. They're quick-cooking. And they're extremely versatile.

On the other hand, boneless, skinless chicken breasts don't taste like much. So they need a little attention to really shine. But just a little.

First and foremost, season them with salt and pepper. After that, one of the quickest ways to give boneless, skinless chicken breasts oomph is to add flavor with other seasonings. Try herbes de Provence and dried lavender, or a spicy Latin blend of cumin, coriander, chili powder and cayenne or even a combination of onion powder, garlic powder and curry powder. Then cook the chicken simply, and serve.

Another way to flavor boneless, skinless chicken breasts is to marinate them. This requires a little foresight, but the results are worth it. A marinade flavors the meat through and through and has the added benefit of tenderizing your chicken. But beware—a chicken breast starts out relatively tender, so over-marinating can result in mealy-textured meat. A few hours is plenty, depending on the acidity of your marinade and the thickness of the breast.

I also like to jazz up boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a sauce. You can use something right out of the jar—salsa, tapenade, chutney—or whip up something from whatever you find in your refrigerator door. Or make a little pan sauce by deglazing with a little wine or stock after you sauté your chicken.

You can also add flavor by pounding out the chicken breasts, seasoning them, then rolling them up with something. I like this technique because it has endless variations. The recipe below, with sun dried tomatoes, rosemary and goat cheese, is one example. But feel free to experiment. Roll pounded breasts with proscuitto and mozzarella, with tapenade and roasted red peppers or with asparagus, mustard, honey and thyme—whatever combinations of veggies, cheese, herbs and meats you like.

Last but not least, ensure flavor in your boneless skinless chicken breasts by buying quality chicken in the first place. I like Petaluma Farms' free-range, organic Rosie chicken and kosher chicken—both are noticeably tastier than the basic supermarket brand, proving yet again that the best way to make food quick cuisine is to start with quality ingredients then let their inherent tastiness shine.