Friday, August 21, 2009

Fontina and Herb Stuffed Chicken


I bought chicken breasts at the grocery store this week, as usual, but wasn't sure what to do with them. Initially I planned to marinate and grill them as usual, but the weather was rainy and I wanted comfort food. So I just kind of threw this together, and they turned out much better than I expected. I really love those kinds of meals, don't you?

This is basically a deconstructed pesto stuffed chicken breast. I just replaced the Parmesan with some melty, gooey, fontina, and added in some spinach and parsley in addition to the basil. I used the leftover herbs and pine nuts to throw together a quick pesto oil for the sauce, but I don't think it was necessary. It certainly didn't hurt though ;-)

Fontina and Herb Stuffed Chicken
  • 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness
  • 4-oz fontina cheese sliced
  • 3 Tablespons pine nuts, toasted
  • 1/2 cup fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs (I used basil and parsley, but could have used pretty much anything)
  • salt and pepper
  • garlic powder
  • 3/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly toast pine nuts and bread crumbs. Pound chicken breasts to 1/4-1/2 inch thickness.

Season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic. Lay out 2-3 slices of cheese per breast, top with herbs and pinenuts, and roll tightly. Coat with egg and then breadcrumbs, and lay seam-side down on a well-oiled baking sheet.

Repeat with remaining chicken breasts

Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until the meat reaches 170. Allow to rest at least 10 minutes, then slice against the rolls and serve.

If making sauce, use leftover herbs and pine nuts, and combine in a food processor with 1 clove of garlic, salt, pepper, and additional olive oil to reach desired consistency.


2 comments:

Alisa@Foodista said...

This is delicious and I cant wait to try it with fontina cheese.Love your blog!I'd love to guide our readers to your site if you won't mind.Just add your choice of foodista widget to this post and it's all set, Thanks!

Anderburf said...

This looks so yummy! I just got some organic peppercorns and Himalayan sea salt from Sustainable Sourcing https://secure.sustainablesourcing.com and I think I'll use them in this recipe tonight. Thanks for sharing!

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