This recipe was part of the Food Fight: Chicken Breast Challenge which ended May 2, 2008 05:00 PM. See winners »
Spring chicken Recipe
This is a dish I came up with for my mom’s birthday dinner one year. I always try to make a special dish for my parents’ birthdays, and she just loved this. I had seen a few of the Food Network Chefs make various stuffed meats – stuffed chicken breasts, stuffed pork loins, etc. I put together some of the best tasting ingredients I could think of and came up with. You can either bread the chicken breasts for a nice crunch, or leave the breadding off for a slightly healthier option. Although it takes a bit of time to assemble these, the majority of the work is just that – assembly. The chicken always comes out incredibly moist whether you choose to use the breading or not.
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 oz chevere (goat cheese) - gorgonzola also works
- 4 slices of ham (thin, deli-style) - I prefer honey ham, but use whatever you like
- Baby Spinach - about 1/2 cup
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- salt
- pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- Baking pan - 9x13 or cookie sheet with edges
- Trim excess fat and tendons from each chicken breast. Fillet the breasts so that they lay flat and are about 1/2 inch thick.
- Place each breast smooth side down. Place a one slice of ham on the “interior” or cut side of the chicken breast.
- Lay spinach leaves over the ham on each chicken breast. Cover the breast, but do not overlap the spinach leaves very much.
- Crumble the chevre (or gorganzola) over the spinach. Create a line down the middle of the breast so that the cheeze will be fully contained when the chicken is rolled.
- Roll each breast, making sure that the edges overlap to keep the filling inside.
- Create a station with three plates: One with 1 1/2 cup flour, one with the beaten egg, and one with the 1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs. Preheat oven to 400 F
- Add salt and pepper to the breadcrumbs. Judge by your own tastes. I like to use about 4-5 twists of the pepper grinder and 2-3 shakes of a table salt shaker.
- Dredge each rolled chicken breast in flour, then in the egg, then coat with the breadcrumb-salt-pepper mixture.
- Arrange the stuffed, coated chicken breasts on the baking pan. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Bake at 400 for 30-45 minutes or until juices from the chicken run clear.
- For a slightly healthier option, omit steps 6-9. Sprinkle each breast with salt and pepper, rub with olive oil, and bake at 400 for 30-45 minutes.
Member recipes are not tested by the CHOW food team.
Thanks - made this last night, but I got the cheese wrong and used swiss (still tastes great). One thing I would add: Wrapping ham around the outside as well keeps it together, and the spinach shrinks, so really stuff it in.
My girl made hers with philidelphia (cream cheese) and parma ham, and that was good too.
I think it sounds fabulous...and easy for a weeknight or elegant enough for company. And it seems that all the prep can be done ahead. Those are the reasons I voted for this one. Those are the things I currently look for in a recipe.
There are others that sound great too, and I will try them, although most of the others I liked were one's I already make a version of...probably that is why I...+READ
I think it sounds fabulous...and easy for a weeknight or elegant enough for company. And it seems that all the prep can be done ahead. Those are the reasons I voted for this one. Those are the things I currently look for in a recipe.
There are others that sound great too, and I will try them, although most of the others I liked were one's I already make a version of...probably that is why I liked them...
It is always a plus for me to come across a good recipe that I don't have to stand at the stovetop cooking at the last minute.-COLLAPSE
Has anybody else tried this recipe? I have a concern with this recipe because my friend tried something very similar and had very poor results with goats cheese. This so as goat cheese is very soft cheese with high water content compared to say something like mozzerella. When the chicken is back the goat cheese is completely melted, watery, and runny. Maybe it was the goat cheese he used, but I...+READ
Has anybody else tried this recipe? I have a concern with this recipe because my friend tried something very similar and had very poor results with goats cheese. This so as goat cheese is very soft cheese with high water content compared to say something like mozzerella. When the chicken is back the goat cheese is completely melted, watery, and runny. Maybe it was the goat cheese he used, but I honestly don't think so. Also if the spinach is not pre-cooked it will also contribute to the overly runny center.-COLLAPSE
This looks amazing! A nice riff on cordon bleu. FeelinFineSunshine — you can do it!
just get a skinny piece of chicken, wrap it around a piece of ham, some spinach leaves and some cheese, drizzle it with some olive oil, then put it in the oven until it's not pink anymore.
That's how I cook. I estimated on the ingredients. I've never measured them out. The first time I tried to fillet (or butterfly, or whatever it is i do to make a big thick chicken breast lay in a flat,...+READ
just get a skinny piece of chicken, wrap it around a piece of ham, some spinach leaves and some cheese, drizzle it with some olive oil, then put it in the oven until it's not pink anymore.
That's how I cook. I estimated on the ingredients. I've never measured them out. The first time I tried to fillet (or butterfly, or whatever it is i do to make a big thick chicken breast lay in a flat, skinnier piece) a pice of chicken, I hacked it up pretty bad.
And then there's the time I was in college, lazy, and hungry. I din't really have anything but some dried pasta and an avocado...Hot pasta + avacado does NOT equal tasty, just for the record.-COLLAPSE
Thanks...I'm pretty sure this is why I don't cook. I have no idea where the chicken breast is attached to the bone!? AHHHH! I'd so love to cook this :)
FeelinFine - Actually what I do is more of a "butterfly" than a fillet. what I do is make a cut down the center of the back of the breast where it was attached to the bone, about halfway through the breast. Then I slide my knife at that depth to the left, causing the left part of the breast to open up. Then i repeat on the opposite side.
Actual filleting is really just cutting a thin slice....+READ
FeelinFine - Actually what I do is more of a "butterfly" than a fillet. what I do is make a cut down the center of the back of the breast where it was attached to the bone, about halfway through the breast. Then I slide my knife at that depth to the left, causing the left part of the breast to open up. Then i repeat on the opposite side.
Actual filleting is really just cutting a thin slice. Either treatment would work for this recipie, but if the chicken "fillet" is very thin, you would want to reduce the cooking time.-COLLAPSE
Stupid question. I love food...but learning how to cook, how do you filet a chicken breast?
*one-two punch of ham and cheese I meant to say.
Aghh, I'm not going to even bother submitting a recipe now. This is clearly going to win. It sounds delicious, and on tiop of that, it deals with my main dislike of chicken breast: flavour. With the goats cheese and ham, I can just imaginge the gorgeious textures , and the one-two punch of ham. This is made of win.