Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Stuffed With Herb Cream Cheese Food

CHEESE AND PROSCIUTTO STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven: To 450 F degrees.
• Prepare the chicken: Flatten the chicken breasts using a meat mallet to pound them until they are about ¼ inch to ½ inch in thickness.
• Assemble the chicken breasts: Spread ½ the cream cheese on each chicken breast. Top with basil leaves, then 2 slices of prosciutto on each breast and a tbsp of chopped sun-dried tomatoes on each breast. Carefully roll up the breasts and secure with toothpicks. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook the chicken: Heat the olive oil in an oven proof skillet and brown the chicken, placing first with seam side down until just slightly golden brown. You may need to remove toothpicks to brown on all sides. Place skillet in oven and bake chicken for an additional 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
• Finish the dish: Remove chicken from skillet onto a cutting board, discard toothpicks and wait about 15 minutes before slicing each chicken breast. To double the recipe simply double all the ingredients.

CHEESY HERB STUFFED PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Use a small, sharp knife to gently cut horizontally into one side of each chicken breast to create a pocket, being careful to not cut all the way through the chicken breast.
• In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, shredded cheese, thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix together until smooth and combined. Split the cheese mixture evenly between the 4 chicken breasts and fill each pocket you created in the chicken breasts with the filling. Making sure to tuck it in as far as you can as it will spread slightly when cooking.
• Wrap each stuffed chicken breasts with a few pieces of prosciutto by laying the prosciutto over the top of the chicken breasts and tightly tucking the sides underneath the chicken. Make sure to try to cover the pocket as best as you can with the prosciutto to help keep the filling inside when cooking.
• Place the wrapped chicken breasts on a parchment lined baking sheet or dish and baste the tops with the melted butter and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the prosciutto is golden and crispy. If using a thermometer, it should read 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREAST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Using a small knife, make an incision in the top rounded end of a chicken breast, cutting through the center and to the ends without breaking the sides, to form a pocket for the stuffing.
• Combine the tomatoes, ricotta, walnuts, sage and egg yolk in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Using a spoon (or place the filling into a piping bag without a tip), stuff one of the chicken breasts with half of the ricotta mixture. Seal the cut end of the chicken closed using a toothpick. Repeat with the other chicken breast.
• Lay the prosciutto into 2 sheets (3 pieces each) and roll around each stuffed breast. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
• Heat the canola oil in a large, ovenproof saute pan until almost smoking. Sear the chicken breasts on the seam side of the prosciutto, then flip and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast until the center of the chicken registers 160 degrees F, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from the pan, add the capers and shallots and cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute to soften the shallots. Add the chicken stock and cook until reduced by half, then swirl in the butter. Add the parsley and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
• Slice the chicken and serve with the sauce over the top.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN WITH GARLIC AND HERB CREAM CHEESE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, garlic, basil leaves and pepper.
• Place chicken tenders on a sheet of waxed paper. Spoon 1/6th of cheese filling evenly onto the center of chicken tender. Top with a second chicken tender. (Note: The original recipe didn't call for salt, but at this point you can season with salt and pepper.) Wrap a slice of prosciutto ham around the filled chicken. Repeat this to make a total of 6 stuffed chicken tenders.
• In large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat until foamy. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes, turn, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside.
• Tip: Toss hot cooked noodles in the buttery pan juices left in the skillet. Add a little chopped parsley for a great side dish.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED STUFFED CHICKEN WITH HERBED RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Measure the ricotta cheese into a small bowl. Add in parsley, sage, rosemary and garlic. Add in the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and stir well to blend.
• Butterfly each chicken breast and fill each with a fourth of the ricotta cheese mixture. Wrap each chicken breast in a slice of the proscuitto di Parma.
• Add 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil to an ovenproof skillet. Warm over medium high heat. Add in prepared chicken breasts and brown, turning once for 4 to 6 minutes. Place the pan with the chicken in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove chicken from pan, deglaze the pan with chicken stock, add in lemon juice, butter and additional stock as needed to make a sauce. Spoon over chicken.
• This is delicious served with oven roasted asparagus and makes and elegant but simple meal.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH HERBED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a baking sheet, and set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the shallots, and cook until they turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper; cook and stir an additional 2 minutes. Transfer the shallot mixture to a bowl. Mix in the goat cheese, dates, and basil; stir until well combined.
• With a sharp knife, cut a 1-inch long slit into the thick side of each chicken breast. Work your fingers into the slit, and expand the slit to form a pocket in the breast meat. With your fingers or a spoon, stuff each chicken breast with about 1/4 cup of the goat cheese mixture. Wipe off any cheese mixture from the outside of the chicken breast, and wrap each breast in a slice of prosciutto so that the pocket opening is covered. Place the chicken breasts, seam sides down, onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken meat is no longer pink and the prosciutto is browned and crisp, about 40 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over after 20 minutes.