Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Crispy Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Prosciutto and Mozzarella

This is SO good. I made it recently, and even though I made a couple substitutions, I would do it again next time. I couldn't find boneless chicken breasts with skin, so i used skinless. I would also use a little less oil. I also couldn't find any good basil leaves, so i just used dried basil and mixed it with the cheese. cutting a slit in the chicken breast worked out well, and the prosciutto/cheese wrap fit nicely. The sauce was very tasty at the end as well. I'll definitely make this again!

4 thin slices prosciutto
2 tsp coarse-grained mustard
8 large basil leaves
1/2 C fresh grated mozzarella
4 boneless chicken breast halves with skin
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C Merlot
2 C chicken broth
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Arrange prosciutto slices on work surface. Spread each slice with mustard. Top each slice with 2 basil leaves and one fourth of the cheese. Starting with short end, roll up each prosciutto slice. Remove small flap of meat from underneath each breast (these are tenders) and reserve for another use. Put chicken breast halves on cutting board skin side up and beginning at thicker end of breast half, horizontally insert a thin sharp knife three fourths of the way through the center of each. Open cut to create a 1" wide pocket in each half. Fit a prosciutto roll into each pocket and secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle skin with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over moderately high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook 6 minutes or until skin is crispy. Turn heat down to moderate, cover pan and continue to cook skin side down until chicken is just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter, arranging them skin side up, and cover loosely. To make sauce, add garlic to skillet and cook over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add wine and simmer, scraping up brown bits, until reduced to a few tablespoons. Add broth and simmer until reduced by half. Mix butter and flour together well in a small bowl with a fork. Add a little bit of the hot liquid to the bowl and whisk butter flour mixture back into the skillet, along with any juices that accumulate on chicken platter. Bring sauce to a boil and simmer 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove tooth pick and slice chicken crosswise. Arrange on plates and spoon some of sauce over each portion.

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