SUNDAY
Prosciutto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts | Mushroom Pan Sauce | Tabbouleh
After all of the activity of last week, today was, finally…quiet. Not a single alarm clock was set. Michael was the first to awaken and, shortly after he made his way downstairs, the children and I followed, drawn to the kitchen by the aroma of freshly brewing coffee and bacon cooking in a skillet. It was a gray, cool day today and Sunday morning coffee, usually enjoyed on our sunny deck, was savored in the warmth of our kitchen. Morning horse rides at the barn were followed by a hike around the island in the afternoon and then home for an easy, wonderful dinner…a beautiful Sunday!
I prepared the chicken roulades in the morning. I had our butcher pound the breasts for me so all I needed to do was stuff, roll & tie! 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 remove the tabbouleh from the refrigerator, letting it come to room temperature before serving…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 {thin} slices prosciutto, cut in half lengthwise
- 2 slices provolone cheese, cut in half
- 16 fresh basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon grape seed oil
- 4 cups mixed mushrooms (I used a combination of chanterelle, crimini and shiitake)
- 2 cups {homemade} chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
- Prepare a {charcoal} grill {banking charcoal to one side of the grill}.
- Place the 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 half-slice of provolone; layer 4 basil leaves over cheese, maintaining 1/2-inch border. Roll up chicken lengthwise and tie with kitchen twine. 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.
- In a large cast-iron skillet set on a grill rack above hot, white coals, heat 1 tablespoon butter and oil. Add roulades and cook until browned on all sides, 8-10 minutes. Move skillet to the other side of the grill {not over the coals/indirect heat} and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the roulades registers 165°, about 7-8 minutes. (The chicken will be cooked through but still juicy.) Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Scrape drippings and any melted cheese from skillet; discard. Set skillet back onto grill rack over coals 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 from the roulades. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch slices. Drizzle mushroom sauce over and serve immediately.
The roulades hot-off-the-grill…
And after resting for 10 minutes…
Fresh mushrooms from yesterday’s farmers’ market for the pan sauce…
And a tabbouleh {left-over from last night’s dinner and prepared according to this recipe, substituting fresh farmers’ market cherry tomatoes for the plum tomatoes in the original recipe} round out our dinner this evening…
The final dinner plate…
