For
our Christmas party last night, I made chicken breasts stuffed with sundried
tomato pesto, ricotta cheese, and fresh spinach. I thought the red and green
colors would complement our Christmas theme. I served the chicken sliced
over a creamy mushroom and leek sauce. Delish. I served this with scalloped
potatoes, but it would also be good over rice.
Chicken:
6-7 chicken breastsSalt
Pepper
3-4 oz sundried tomato pesto
6 oz Ricotta cheese
1 egg
Fresh baby spinach, stems removed (about 5-6 leaves per chicken breast)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Preheat oven to 350
degrees. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese and egg; set aside. Slice the
thick part of each chicken breast and flip open. Pound each chicken breast to
about ¼” thick. Season outside of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Flip
breast over and spread the inside with pesto, then ricotta cheese and top with
5-6 spinach leaves. Starting with the thin side, roll up as tightly as possible
and tuck in the ends to form a neat roll. Secure each breast with 2 toothpicks
or tie closed with cooking string.
In a large frying pan
with a few drizzles of EVOO, heat over high until oil starts to smoke and oil
ripples. Brown all sides of chicken and transfer to a large casserole dish.
Bake uncovered for 15-18 minutes, or until chicken is cooked all the way
through and juices run clear. Let rest before slicing.
Sauce:
1 Tbsp butter1 large leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
3 large baby Bella mushrooms, diced
½ cup white wine
½ Tbsp cornstarch
½ Tbsp Dijon mustard
½ cup heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
In the same frying pan
used to brown chicken, add butter, leeks and mushrooms; sauté for 3-4 minutes. Scrap
up browned bits of chicken from pan. Add wine and cornstarch, bring to a boil
and whisk together. Turn heat to low and let reduce for about 5 minutes. Whisk
in mustard. Add cream and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, pour sauce into a shallow serving dish and top with sliced chicken.
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