# Stuffed Chicken Breasts? Calling All Chefs!



## Mylegsbig (Jan 15, 2006)

Hello there guys i want to make this chicken dish and serve it with some say linguine with garlic olive oil and parm or asiago.

Basically i want to get a chicken breast, and slice it down middle so i can stuff it.  I realy want to stuff it this way and not flatten it all out, and roll it up and secure with toothpick.

Is it okay to slice chicken down middle and stuff it? Boneless skinless chicken breasts?

One of the ingredients i KNOW i want inside the chicken breast is Feta Cheese.  What other good ingredients would go in there?  Some types of meats and other veggies..... 

Also, should i brown these stuffed chicken breasts(sear them) in a skillet with a little oil then transfer to oven?  

Could you stuff the chicken breast with Sundried Tomatoes and Feta Cheese?  Never seen how sundried tomatoes react to an oven.

Please share any of your insight in helping me create this dish.


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## GB (Jan 15, 2006)

You absolutely can stuff chicken breasts like this and sun dried tomatoes with feta would be a great stuffing. What you want to do is use a sharp thin small knife at go into the thick part of the breast. You want to keep the opening of the pocket small. Once the knife is in then you want to pivot it and sweep it back and forth keeping the opening small, but creating a larger pocket on the inside. This way you will have ample room to put lots of stuffing in, but since the opening is small it will not all fall out. Sorry if my description is not very clear. Maybe someone can reword it so it makes more sense.

As far as other things to use as stuffing, the sky is the limit. Use your imagination and you will come up with some great things. Feta and sun dried tomatoes are a great start for sure!


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## ironchef (Jan 15, 2006)

You want to butterfly it and pound the chicken breasts out to an even thickness, about 1/2". This will help ensure even cooking.

Feta and Sun Dried Tomato will go good as a filling. You can also add pinenuts, proscuitto, and a fresh herb like thyme to the mixture. And yes, you definitely want to sear the chicken before you add it to the oven.


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## ironchef (Jan 15, 2006)

When you add in your filling to the butterflied chicken, only cover about 2/3 of the surface of the meat or else when you roll it up, the stuffing may leak out both when you roll it back up, and also during the cooking process. 

Do a google or yahoo search on Chicken Roulade for a more descriptive instruction on cutting the chicken.


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## Mylegsbig (Jan 15, 2006)

Ironchef, i tried stuffing chicken breasts in the way you described previously and had disastrous results.  This is why i was hoping to instead make a pocket in the chicken, and stuff it like you would say a Filet Mignon.....


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## ironchef (Jan 15, 2006)

I forgot that I had a recipe for something like this. Feel free to modify it to suit your needs/ingredients:



*Pan-Roasted Stuffed Chicken Breast with Honey-Dijon Pan Gravy*

*Serves 4* 

*Ingredients:*

4 Boneless Chicken Breasts, Skin On 
2 oz. Fontina or Similar semi-soft cheese, thinly sliced 
2 oz. Procuitto, Carpricola, or whatever type of ham you want, thinly sliced 
12 Fresh Sage Leaves 
1 Large Onion, cut into 1" chunks 
2 Carrots, cut into 1" chunks 
2 Celery ribs, cut into 1" chunks 
6 Cloves of Garlic, slightly crushed 
1 Large or 2 Medium Sprigs of Rosemary 
2-3 Bay Leaves 
3/4 cup Chicken Stock 
1/2 cup Dry White Wine 
2 Tbsp. Honey 
1.5 Tbsp. Dijon, Pommery, or Whole Grain Mustard 
2 tsp. Fresh Lemon Zest 
2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter 
Kosher Salt to taste 
White Pepper to taste 
3 Tbsp. Cooking Oil 
1/2 cup All purpose Flour 
Toothpicks or Butcher's String 

*Method:* 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cover chicken breast with plastic wrap and using a meat mallet or heavy pan or skillet, pound chicken out evenly to about 1/4" thickness. Try and keep the shape of the chicken roughly rectangular or square. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Lay the chicken skin side down, and layer the Procuitto (or ham), cheese, and 3 sage leaves on half of the chicken, using the longer side of the breast. Roll the chicken tightly like a jelly roll, and secure tightly with the string or toothpicks. Coat the chicken with a light dusting of flour, and shake off the excess. In a heavy skillet or pan (one that can go in the oven), heat the oil on high until lightly smoking and sear the chicken on all sides until a dark golden brown (easier if you use string - if you use toothpicks, you will probably only be able to sear 2-3 sides), about 40-45 seconds per side if your pan is hot enough. Just don't keep moving around the chicken once you add it to the pan. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. Add the Onions, Carrots, Celery, and Garlic to the pan, and saute until the vegetables start to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Strain out the excess oil, place the Chicken back in the pan on top of the vegetables, and finish cooking in the oven, approx. 20-25 minutes or until the juices run clear. When the chicken is done, remove pan from the oven, and place chicken on the side. Set pan on the stove, and on high, add the chicken stock, wine, rosemary, and bay leaves to deglaze the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the browning on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to about med-high, and reduce liquid to about a 1/2 cup (approx 4-6 minutes). Stir in the honey, mustard, and lemon zest, and off the heat, quickly stir in the butter until emulsified in the sauce. Season to taste with the salt and pepper and strain the sauce from the vegetables. To serve, slice chicken into 1" medallions, and drizzle sauce over the chicken.


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## ironchef (Jan 15, 2006)

Mylegsbig said:
			
		

> Ironchef, i tried stuffing chicken breasts in the way you described previously and had disastrous results. This is why i was hoping to instead make a pocket in the chicken, and stuff it like you would say a Filet Mignon.....


 
What happened to the chicken? Most likely you overstuffed it. That's usually the most common error. You can do the "pita pocket" method as GB described if you don't think you can make the roulade.


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## corazon (Jan 15, 2006)

GB's advice is great.  I make stuffed chicken quite often, first searing it in hot olive oil then transfering to a 350F degree oven for about 15 minutes.  I like to do goat cheese, art hearts and mushrooms.  I've done feta with salami and that was great too.


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## valnaples (Jan 15, 2006)

Whoa! I don't like pounding chicken breasts out, either! No matter what I do, there is always a tear in the meat somewhere and after using all that energy pounding the breast, I'll be d***** if the result is poor...so I've adapted to cutting a pocket in the breast horizontally also! I've had very good results doing it this way; I secure the stuffing with toothpicks and proceed with the recipe. My favorite stuffing is feta and spinach and it's finished with a pan sauce of white wine and chicken broth with oregano. And sun-dried tomatoes might just be an "over the top" addition to the filling! Thanks for the suggestion!


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## TexasTamale (Jan 15, 2006)

This Recipe is NOT for "Stuffed" Breasts, but it is a Favorite of My Family.
It is a CopyCat of "Carrabba's Italian Grill" http://www.carrabbas.com/index.asp

This recipe is for their "Chicken Bryan"
We really love it, so I thought I'd post it as more ideas for you. 


Chicken Bryan​like Carrabba's®​
Serves : 6
Prep. Time : 0:55
1 Tbls. minced garlic
1 Tbls. minced yellow onion
2 Tbls. butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup cold butter - sliced
1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
6 boned, skinned chicken breast halves
extra virgin olive oil - for brushing
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
8 oz. caprino OR other goat cheese - room temperature
-Saute garlic and onion in 2 Tbls. butter in a large skillet over medium heat until tender.
-Stir wine and lemon juice into skillet, increase heat to medium high, and simmer to reduce by half.
-Reduce heat to low and stir in cold butter, one slice at a time.
-Stir in tomatoes, basil, kosher salt, and white pepper; remove from heat; set aside.
-Brush chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
-Grill chicken over hot coals 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through.
-A couple of minutes before chicken is done, place equal amounts of cheese on each breast
-Spoon prepared sun-dried tomato sauce over chicken.


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## Constance (Jan 15, 2006)

I haven't made them for a long time (forgot about them, really), but I use to do stuffed chicken breasts frequently, using the pocket method. I made a rather unimaginative but tasty stuffing with prepared Stove Top, chopped mushrooms and a beaten egg, stuffed the breasts, wrapped with bacon and Kim cooked them on the grill. They were good, but a little dry, if I remember correctly. We were both working our tails off back then, and were just glad to get some food in our mouths that wasn't junk. 
I think I'll make them again soon and re-work the recipe. Now that I'm retired, I have more time for these things. 
************

Ironchef, your recipe looks fabulous. The method reminds me of beef braciole. 

MLB, I like the idea of the sun-dried tomatoes and the feta. If I used that, and wrapped the bacon around the outside, it would be sort of like a hot club sandwich. Maybe serve it on some greens tossed with a Ranch style or mayo-based dressing? My husband would probably go for French. Serve with slices of toasted French bread. Does that sound good to you?


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## Mylegsbig (Jan 15, 2006)

Constance that sounds fantastic.


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## ella/TO (Jan 15, 2006)

I always cut a pocket in the chicken breast. Like to use goat cheese with pesto....really deelish....goat cheese with sun dried tomatoes....goat cheese with dried cranberries...yes, sweetish but good! Sometimes I brown the chicken in a fry pan first, then finish in the oven...other times, just lower the heat, cover the pan and finish on top of the stove.


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