Real Food for Real Life

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

An old favorite, and a new one, too...

Cheddar Stuffed Chicken with 
Foil Roasted Asparagus, Mushrooms and Prosciutto

I had a request from my little guy for "cheese stuffed chicken," referring to a chicken dish I have made repeatedly over the years.  This recipe comes from one of my oldest cookbooks, Chicken, published by Better Homes and Gardens, and counts as one of my first culinary success stories.  Asparagus is in season and extraordinarily cheap right now, so I thought this a perfect time to try the slow cooked method from The New York Times that I posted on the Facebook page a while back.  This method of cooking did truly infuse the asparagus with the flavors of the mushrooms and prosciutto, while retaining its crispness...I will certainly use this easy method again.

Cheddar Stuffed Chicken with Sundried Tomatoes
adapted from Chicken from Better Homes and Gardens

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or 6 cutlets
6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese (I used a white Vermont cheddar here)
3 tbs. finely diced oil packed sundried tomatoes
1/2 cup flour well seasoned with salt and pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup fine, dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp. paprika
cooking spray, canola or olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and have ready a shallow baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Prepare the chicken- Usually stuffed/rolled chicken recipes involve pounding the chicken...well, I don't like to do that and prefer halving the chicken breast horizontally and flattening with my hand, forming cutlets (or you can buy already prepared cutlets.

Dice the oil packed tomatoes and thinly slice the cheese and set aside.  In one shallow bowl place the seasoned flour, in a second, the eggs, and in a third, combine the bread crumbs parmesan  and paprika. 

Lay a piece of wax paper on your counter to work on (easier cleanup).  Place a cutlet on the paper and place in the center 1 ounce of cheese and 1/2 tbs. of the diced tomatoes.  Fold over the edge of chicken closest to you, fold in the sides, and then roll over the chicken package...it's kinda like rolling a little burrito.  After rolling each package, dip first in the flour, then the egg, then the bread crumbs, ensuring nice coverage at each step; place in the prepared baking dish.  Once all the chicken has been prepared, spray the tops lightly with the cooking spray.  Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink.

Foil Roasted Asparagus with Mushrooms and Prosciutto
adapted from The New York Times

 
1 lb. asparagus, tough ends snapped off
8oz. crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1/4 inch strips
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
fresh grated nutmeg, if you have it

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with foil, leaving it twice as long as the pan.  Place the asparagus in the center and scatter on the mushroom and prosciutto slices.  Drizzle with the oil and season with the salt. pepper, and nutmeg; toss everything to coat and combine.  Fold the foil in and crimp to make a loose closed packet.  Bake for 1 hour, or until crisp tender; return to the oven if not done to your liking.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks Sandi! If you haven't tried this method yet for asparagus, you need to :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I never think of stuffed chicken. This looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Tasha, it really was delicious. Tonight I am stuffing butterflied pork chops.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...