TUESDAY
Prosciutto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce & Rice
Yesterday afternoon & evening did not leave much time for a dinner post. Baseball after school, followed by a quick trip to the orthodontist’s office, Michael returned home last night from business travel in Southern California, and some friends from Sonoma County stopped in for a visit after a day in the City. When I planned the dinner menu last week I had no way of knowing how perfectly last night’s dinner would fit into our unexpected Tuesday schedule.
I prepared the chicken roulades yesterday morning before heading out for the day. I had our butcher pound the breasts for me so all I needed to do was stuff, roll & tie! I prepared two of the breasts according to the recipe, using prosciutto, provolone cheese & fresh basil. For the other two breasts I improvised a bit, pairing the prosciutto with some herbed goat cheese I had on hand. The roulades were placed in a baking dish, drizzled with a bit of olive oil, covered with foil and refrigerated. All I needed to do at dinner time was cook the chicken, prepare the mushroom sauce {this is all done in the same pan} and boil water for the rice…dinner was ready in 30 minutes!
Prosciutto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sauce {adapted from Bon Appetit}
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts {whole NOT halves…about 2 pounds}, pounded to ¼-inch thickness {have your butcher do this, saving you a bit of time}
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
- 4 slices prosciutto, sliced in half
- 2 slices provolone cheese
- ¾ cup herbed goat cheese
- 16 fresh basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon grape seed oil
- 4 cups mixed mushrooms (I used a combination of crimini and shiitake)
- 2 cups {homemade} chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- Place 2 chicken breasts on a work surface, cut side up. Overlap 2 half slices of prosciutto on top of each chicken breast, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top prosciutto with 1 slice of provolone; layer 8 basil leaves over cheese, maintaining 1/2-inch border. Roll up chicken lengthwise and tie with kitchen twine.
- Using the same technique for the remaining 2 chicken breasts, stuff with prosciutto and top with the herbed goat cheese. At this point, the roulades can be placed into a covered dish and refrigerated until ready to cook. Remove from refrigerator approximately ½ of an hour prior to cooking to allow meat to come to room temperature.
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Preheat oven to 450°. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and oil in a large heavy ovenproof skillet. Add roulades and cook until browned on all sides, 8-10 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roulades registers 165°, 7-8 minutes. (The chicken will be cooked through but still juicy.) Transfer chicken to plates and let rest for 10 minutes.
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Scrape drippings and any melted cheese from skillet; discard. Set skillet over medium-high heat and melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add mushrooms. Cook, turning once, until mushrooms are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; add broth and vinegar. Simmer until liquid is thickened and reduced, 10-12 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter; season with salt and pepper.
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Cut off and discard twine. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch slices. Drizzle mushroom sauce over.
The fillings…
Stuff, roll & tie…
Browning the roulades on the stovetop…
The mushroom sauce…
And our dinner plate…
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts {whole NOT halves...about 2 pounds}, pounded to ¼-inch thickness {have your butcher do this, saving you a bit of time}
- Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
- 4 slices prosciutto, sliced in half
- 2 slices provolone cheese
- ¾ cup
- herbed goat cheese
- 16 fresh basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon grape seed oil
- 4 cups mixed mushrooms (I used a combination of crimini and shiitake)
- 2 cups {homemade} chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- Place 2 chicken breasts on a work surface, cut side up. Overlap 2 half slices of prosciutto on top of each chicken breast, leaving a ½-inch border. Top prosciutto with 1 slice of provolone; layer 8 basil leaves over cheese, maintaining ½-inch border. Roll up chicken lengthwise and tie with kitchen twine.
- Using the same technique for the remaining 2 chicken breasts, stuff with prosciutto and top with the herbed goat cheese.
- At this point, the roulades can be placed into a covered dish and refrigerated until ready to cook. Remove from refrigerator approximately ½ of an hour prior to cooking to allow meat to come to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 450°. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and oil in a large heavy ovenproof skillet. Add roulades and cook until browned on all sides, 8-10 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roulades registers 165°, 7-8 minutes. (The chicken will be cooked through but still juicy.) Transfer chicken to plates and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Scrape drippings and any melted cheese from skillet; discard. Set skillet over medium-high heat and melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add mushrooms. Cook, turning once, until mushrooms are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; add broth and vinegar. Simmer until liquid is thickened and reduced, 10-12 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter; season with salt and pepper.
- Cut off and discard twine. Cut chicken into ½-inch slices. Drizzle mushroom sauce over.
