Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken With Mozzarella And Basil 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.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Sprinkle the garlic and sage on the chicken cutlets; season with salt and pepper. Wrap 2 or 3 slices prosciutto around each cutlet.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken and cook, flipping once, until the prosciutto is golden brown and slightly crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Meanwhile, whisk half of the lemon juice, the mustard, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil until smooth. Add the lettuce and tomatoes; toss to coat.
• Add the chicken broth and the remaining lemon juice to the skillet; cook over medium heat until slightly reduced, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the butter and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the butter melts and the sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the chicken with the salad. Drizzle with the pan sauce.

GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST STUFFED WITH PROSCIUTTO AND BASIL

Steps:

• Prepare grill.
• On a work surface spread prosciutto slices evenly with mustard. Top slices with basil leaves and sprinkle evenly with mozzarella. Starting with a short end roll up each prosciutto slice.
• Pat chicken dry and put on a work surface, skinned sides down. Remove "tender" (fillet strip located on either side of where breast bone was) from each breast half, keeping rest of chicken breast intact, and reserve tenders for another use. (There should be 1 tender from each breast half.)
• To form a long thin pocket in chicken for prosciutto roll: Put chicken breast halves on cutting board and, beginning at thicker end of breast half, horizontally insert a thin sharp knife three fourths of the way through center of each. Open cut to create a 1-inch-wide pocket in each half. Fit a prosciutto roll into each pocket and season chicken with salt and pepper.
• Grill chicken on a lightly oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals until cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side. (Alternatively, chicken may be grilled in a hot well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately low heat.)

PAN-FRIED STUFFED CHICKEN WITH PROSCIUTTO, MOZZARELLA AND BASIL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°.
• Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise to make 4 portions. Cut a slit into the sides of each portion. Insert a slice of prosciutto, a slice of cheese and 2 whole basil leaves into each slit. Secure well with a toothpick.
• Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot; add the chicken. Reduce heat to medium; cook, turning once, until chicken is browned, about 3 minutes per side.
• Transfer chicken to a baking pan.
• Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 15-18 minutes.
• Transfer to a platter.
• Meanwhile, heat the broth, mustard and garlic to a boil in the same skillet over high heat; cook until slightly thickened, 5 minutes. Stir in sliced basil; pour over chicken.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED MOZZARELLA & BASIL

Steps:

• Arrange 8 slices of prosciutto flat on a cutting board and put a piece of basil on one end of each slice. Top each piece of basil with a piece of mozzarella and a tomato half, matching the cut sides to make a ball.
• Season very lightly with salt and generously with pepper and then roll up the balls in the prosciutto. Secure each with a toothpick and set on a platter.
• Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Drizzle with the olive oil and serve. These keep at room temperature for up to 1 hour before serving.