Italian Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 10 Boneless Chicken Breasts (7-8oz)
- 300g Onions
- 300g Frozen Leaf Spinach
- 250g Celery
- 300g Large Flat Mushrooms
- 1.5ltr Chicken Stock
- 1 Egg Size 3
- 200g Grated Parmesan
- 130g Whirl
- 20g Fresh Garlic
- 300g Main crop carrots
Sauce
- 70g Whirl
- 200g Cherry Tomatoes
- 80g Plain Flour
- 50g Fresh Parsley
- 100ml Whipping Cream
Method
- Thaw out the spinach and remove as much liquid as possible
- Peel, crush and finely chop the garlic
- Clean and finely chop the mushrooms
- Clean and roughly chop the onions, carrots and celery to form a bed of roots.
- Place 100g of the 130g of Whirl into a pan and fry off the garlic, add the mushrooms, cook through for a few moments, add the drained spinach and mix well together. Allow to heat through and remove from heat.
- Finish off with Parmesan, and season well. Bind together with beaten egg.
- Remove the fillet from the back of the chicken and flatten out.
- Slice three quarters of the way through the chicken horizontally and open out to form a heart shape. Lightly bat out and place the fillet in the centre.
- Place a portion of the stuffing down the centre. Wrap the chicken round and seal in the stuffing by wrapping a slice of streaky bacon round in a spiral fashion.
- Lay the bed of roots in the base of a deep baking pan, together with any left over stuffing. Lay the finished chicken on top and cover the roots with 0.5ltr of chicken stock.
- Brush the chicken with the remaining Whirl. Bring to the boil on top of the stove and then bake with a lid on for 15-20 minutes in a moderate oven 180°C 350°F
Sauce
- Place 70g of Whirl and the flour together in a saucepan, and cook out to form a fawn roux.
- Bring the remaining stock to the boil and let down the roux to form a coating sauce.
- Cook out, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- When chicken is cooked, strain off the stock and reduce down to a dessert spoon in quantity.
Finish
- Add the reduced stock and the cream. Check seasoning and texture. Do not re-boil.
- Place a portion on the plate.
- Slice the chicken into 5-6 scallops and lay on the sauce with the stuffing just showing. Garnish with Cherry tomato and parsley.
Note: This dish would normally be served with pasta.