Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I remember in one of my BYU wards we had a Relief Society activity where one of the girls showed us some nicer recipes. She demonstrated stuffed chicken breasts, which I thought were a nice idea and then promptly forgot about. I recently rediscovered this little wonder, and have developed a very handy little method that makes it a cinch. This can be a really gourmet-looking and -tasting dish, but it is actually very quick. Plus, you can put pretty much anything you want in the stuffing and/or sauce, so let your creativity go wild.

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Here's a picture tutorial:

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1. Put your boneless skinless chicken breast in a ziplock bag. I usually don't like the extra-large size chicken breast -- something about walking down the aisle and noticing that the chicken breasts are larger than mine (did I just type that?) is rather disconcerting, but when they are on fire sale, I'll buy a pack and put them individually in the freezer. Then this step is easy, I just take the bag out of the freezer and defrost in the microwave. I usually use a large breast like this (a little less than a pound) for two servings. If you need more, just use more individually bagged chicken.

2. Using a handy mallet like this one (or a frying pan or even a can of vegetables), pound your chicken out flat until it fills the bag.

3. Carefully slide the chicken out of the bag, cut it in half, and reshape it with your fingers if needed. Then spread the filling in the center of each piece.

4. Roll the pieces up with the filling in the middle, secure with toothpicks, and if necessary, shape with your fingers. Rub generously with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes (chicken is done when juices run clear or it reaches an internal temp of 160).

6. When done, remove the toothpicks and serve.

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Alternate serving methods:

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A. After baking, grill the outside. I love my handy over-the-stove griddle for this. The grilling is just a nice finishing touch, as shown here.

B. Ryan suggested this idea - if the filling isn't too runny, slice it width-wise this and serve with garnish or drizzle your choice of sauce over it. This would be really fun for an appetizer or party serving.

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Some filling ideas:

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A. Lemon (keep the rind, but use just one thin round per serving and slice it lengthwise) and garlic slices with an herb like tarragon (or I love herbs de provence). Drizzle lemon juice on top, and add a few thin rounds to the pan for added lemon-y goodness.

B. A nice garlic basil pesto.

C. Cream cheese, chopped kalamata olives, and garlic (a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette drizzled on top is delicious).

D. Ham and swiss cheese with a honey-mustard glaze (extra for dipping at the table).

**Just remember that chicken breast is generally rather dry so if you don't have much juice in your filling, try topping it with some kind of sauce to add moisture, and don't be stingy with cheese in the filling.

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If you come up with other great fillings, please share!