Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Ham And Cheese Food

SUNNY'S HAM AND CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS (CHICKEN CORDON BLEU)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix the ham and cheese. Gently slice a lengthwise pocket into each chicken breast. Stuff each breast with the ham and cheese mixture and secure with a skewer or a few toothpicks.
• In a medium shallow bowl, add the flour and season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. In a second medium shallow bowl, add the mustard, paprika, eggs, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper and whisk to combine. In the third medium shallow bowl, add the panko. Run each piece of chicken through these bowls in the order of setting them up: flour, egg then panko.
• In a large straight-sided pan, add enough oil to just cover the bottom by about 1/4 inch. Heat on medium high and when the oil begins to swirl, add the chicken in batches, placing each piece in the oil away from you so there is less splatter. Add more oil between batches if needed. Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and season with a pinch of salt and a tiny spritz of lemon.

HAM AND CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Insert a paring knife into the thickest part of each chicken breast to make a 3-inch-long pocket down the side, cutting in about halfway. Rub the insides of the pockets with 1 tablespoon of the mustard for all 4 breasts. Stuff each breast with 2 half slices of ham and 1 slice of provolone, folding them to fit. Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
• Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken breasts and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the chicken; reduce the heat to medium if the chicken becomes too dark towards the end of the cooking time. Cover the skillet with a lid or a piece of aluminum foil during the last 3 minutes of cooking time to finish cooking the chicken through to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Check the temperature at the thickest part of the breast without stuffing.
• Transfer the chicken to 4 plates or a cutting board and add the chicken broth and remaining 1 tablespoon mustard to the skillet. Cook, whisking, over medium-high heat until the sauce has reduced by about half, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and swirl in the butter and chopped herbs.
• Depending on the size of the breasts, either put 1chicken breast on each of 4 plates or slice all the breasts and divide among 6 plates. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve with Crispy Sliced Roasted Potatoes on the side.
• Serving suggestion: Crispy Sliced Roasted Potatoes, recipe follows.
• Place a rimmed baking sheet in the center rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Thinly slice the potatoes about 1/8-inch thick and toss with the oil, salt and pepper. Carefully spread the slices on the hot baking sheet in a single layer and roast until golden and crispy, turning with a metal spatula occasionally and spreading them out to cook evenly, 30 to 35 minutes.

SAUTEED CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH CHEESE AND HAM

Steps:

• Butterfly and stuff chicken breasts:
• If tenders are attached to undersides of breast halves, remove white tendons from tenders with a small sharp knife. Working with 1 at a time, butterfly breast halves: Lay each breast half, skinned side up, lengthwise on a cutting board. Holding a sharp knife parallel to work surface and beginning on a long side, cut breast almost in half horizontally (not all the way through), then open it like a book.
• Cover opened breast halves with a piece of plastic wrap and gently pound each to an even 1/2-inch thickness with a meat pounder or rolling pin. Remove plastic wrap and cover each opened breast half with 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of cheese, tucking in any protruding ends. Brush edge of chicken with some egg, reserving remainder, then fold each breast in half to enclose ham and cheese.
• Cook chicken and make sauce:
• Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides. While butter is heating, quickly brush more egg onto seam of each breast again, then dredge breasts in flour, shaking off excess. Sauté chicken, turning over once, until golden and cooked through, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and keep warm, loosely covered with foil.
• Add remaining tablespoon butter to skillet, then sauté mushrooms and shallot, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and deglaze skillet by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until wine is reduced by about half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half, about 6 minutes. Stir in any chicken juices accumulated on plate and season sauce with salt and pepper.
• Serve chicken topped with sauce.

STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH FETA, SPINACH, AND HAM

Steps:

• Season chicken breasts with salt & pepper.
• In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and feta with a fork.
• Fill the chicken breast with the cheese mixture, spinach, and ham. (If you are using butterfly breasts, just fold over and secure with a toothpick. Otherwise make a split along one side of the breast with a knife & stuff the breast).
• To Freeze: Wrap individually, label, and freeze.
• To Prepare: Preheat oven to 350. Place frozen chicken breasts in a baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray and bake, covered with foil, for one hour or until tender. You can also defrost the chicken breasts and bake them covered for 45-50 min or until tender.

ITALIAN HAM-AND-CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Slice chicken breasts horizontally without cutting all the way through; open so breasts are flat. Place between 2 pieces of plastic wrap; pound gently with flat side of meat mallet.
• In small bowl, stir together parsley and mustard; spread over half of each chicken breast. Top each with half slices of cheese and prosciutto. Fold breasts to enclose stuffing; pressing edges together to seal. Sprinkle with salt. Place flour on plate; dip chicken in flour, tapping to remove excess.
• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over meium heat until hot. Add chciken, cook 6-10 minutes or until golden brown, no longer pink in the center, and juices run clear. Place of serving platter.
• Increase heat to medium high. Add wine to skillet; cook 30-60 seconds until slightly reduced, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Pour over chicken.

CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH HAM AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cut pounded chicken into 8 thin cutlets. Lay out 4 cutlets; top each with 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of cheese, and then top with a second cutlet.
• Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and saute layered chicken-ham-cheese over medium-high heat, carefully turning once, for 8-10 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
• Respray pan and saute mushrooms and shallot over medium-high heat, stirring for 3 minutes. Add wine to deglaze pan, stirring to scrape up any brown bits, until it's reduced by half.
• Add chicken broth and tarragon and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in any chicken juices that have accumulated on plate and add salt and pepper to taste.

CORDON BLEU CHICKEN ROLLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place each chicken breast half between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet to about 1/8 inch thickness. Place a finger of cheese on each ham slice and sprinkle lightly with thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Roll up seasoned ham and cheese 'jellyroll-style', then roll each chicken breast with ham and cheese inside. Tuck in ends and fasten with toothpicks.
• Place melted butter in a small bowl and place cereal crumbs in a shallow dish or bowl. Dip each chicken roll in butter or margarine, then roll in crumbs, turning to coat thoroughly. Place coated rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for about 40 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and juices run clear. Serve with cordon bleu sauce, if desired.
• To Make Cordon Bleu Sauce: In a small saucepan mix together the soup, sour cream and lemon juice. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, and serve hot over chicken rolls. Makes about 2 cups; 8 servings of 1/4 cup each.

3-INGREDIENT CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH HAM AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Using a sharp knife, make an incision on thinner long side of chicken breast, cutting parallel through the breast but not all the way through. Season inside of chicken with pepper and stuff each with 1 oz. ham and 1 oz. cheese.
• Transfer chicken to a rimmed baking sheet and rub all over with oil; season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast chicken until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 165°F, 12-15 minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing.