Stuffed Chicken Breasts W Cheese Tomato And Basil Food

CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH CHEESE, TOMATO, AND BASIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. With a paring knife, cut a 1-inch-long slit in thick side of each breast. Insert knife, and without enlarging opening, carefully work around inside to form a pocket (make sure you do not go through the other side).
• On a cutting board, pile basil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; finely chop. Divide mixture evenly, and spoon into breast pockets, spreading it around. Insert one piece of cheese in each breast pocket.
• Close pockets, using 2 to 3 toothpicks per breast; arrange, skin side up, on baking sheet. Rub with olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast until well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast (avoiding bone) reads 165 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes. Let chicken rest 5 minutes; remove toothpicks before serving.

STUFFED TOMATO BASIL CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place chicken breasts on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, slice chicken breasts horizontally, without slicing them completely in half. Open the chicken breasts like a book. Place chicken and marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Place opened chicken breasts on a broiler pan. Place 4 basil leaves on the bottom half of each chicken breast. Top each with 2 or 3 tomato slices and 1 slice of cheese, and fold over top half of chicken (if necessary, fasten with toothpicks). Wrap 3 slices bacon around each chicken breast.
• Cook in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn chicken, and cook 15 minutes more. Remove from oven, and sprinkle chicken with Parmesan. Return to oven, and cook until cheese is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes.

CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH CHEESE, TOMATO, AND BASIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. With a paring knife, cut a 1-inch-long slit in thick side of each breast. Insert knife, and without enlarging opening, carefully work around inside to form a pocket (make sure you do not go through the other side).
• On a cutting board, pile basil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; finely chop. Divide mixture evenly, and spoon into breast pockets, spreading it around. Insert one piece of cheese in each breast pocket.
• Close pockets, using 2 to 3 toothpicks per breast; arrange, skin side up, on baking sheet. Rub with olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast until well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast (avoiding bone) reads 165 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes. Let chicken rest 5 minutes; remove toothpicks before serving.

STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST WITH BACON, TOMATO, AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Whisk egg in shallow bowl. Dip and coat chicken breasts in the egg.
• Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Brown chicken, flipping to ensure both sides are cooked, 5 to 7 minutes total.
• Meanwhile, combine spinach, bacon, tomatoes, Cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic in a medium bowl.
• Remove chicken from the pan. Slice into the meatiest, thickest side of each breast carefully in a butterfly-cut, creating a "pocket" for the stuffing. Stuff liberally with spinach mixture.
• Place stuffed chicken into a baking dish, with stuffing mixture at the top. If pieces cannot stand on their own, lean against each other or the side of the baking dish to ensure stuffing remains inside chicken. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper. Cover the dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, about 40 minutes.

CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE AND BASIL

Steps:

• For chicken:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Pound chicken between sheets of waxed paper to thickness of 1/4 inch using meat mallet. Pat chicken dry. Combine cheese, green onions and basil in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spread cheese mixture lengthwise over half of each chicken piece. Tuck short ends in. Roll chicken up, starting at one long side, into tight cylinders. Tie ends with string to secure. Dip chicken in egg, allowing excess to drip into bowl. Roll in breadcrumbs, shaking off excess. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Refrigerate.)
• Place chicken in 8-inch square baking dish. Pour 2 tablespoons melted butter over. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• For sauce:
• Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add wine and boil 3 minutes. Add stock and boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and swirl in 4 tablespoons cold butter 1 piece at a time. Season sauce with salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove string from chicken. Cut rolls crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Fan on plates. Serve immediately, passing sauce separately.

CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH GOAT CHEESE, BASIL AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix goat cheese, tomatoes, shallot, garlic, and the 3 to 4 leaves of basil.
• Using a small sharp knife and working with one chicken breast at a time, cut a 2-inch-long horizontal slit into the thick side of chicken breast. Move knife back and forth in slit to form a pocket. Divide cheese mixture among chicken pockets. Press edges closed and secure with a toothpick to seal. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down; cook for 3 minutes or until skin is brown. Turn chicken over; transfer skillet to oven. Bake until cooked through (170 degrees F), about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Slice chicken and place on a serving plate. Drizzle lemon butter over chicken. Garnish with additional basil.

CHEESY BASIL-STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Combine the cheese, 2 Tbls. of the basil, cream, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of the garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper to taste in a medium bowl.
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and cut off any fat. Cut a pocket in the thickest part of the chicken breast and gently work the knife back and forth until the pocket extends down into most of the breast.
• Scoop one-quarter of the filling into each breast.
• Seal the opening by threading a toothpick or wooden skewer through the chicken about 1/4 inch from the opening.
• Transfer the stuffed breasts to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and spread evenly with mayonnaise.
• Pulse the bread in a food processor to coarse crumbs, about 8 pulses. Toss the breadcrumbs with 1 teaspoons garlic, 2 Tbls. basil, and 1 Tbls. of EVOO. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the chicken, pressing lightly to adhere.
• Toss the tomatoes with 1 Tbls. EVOO, 1/2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Arrange in the baking dish around the chicken. Bake until the crumbs are golden brown and the thickest part of the chicken registers 160 degrees, about 25 minutes.
• Serve.