Stuffed Italian Chicken a la Sedona
By Beverly Lehnhardt
|
Sedona.biz
You’ve got the ‘dinner doldrums’ and can’t think of a new recipe to save your
neck.Your husband has invited his boss and his wife to dinner on Friday and
you’re fresh out of meal-planning ideas.
In a potentially disastrous, flirty
moment, you asked your new guy over for dinner and ‘whatever’ this Saturday
night and just remembered—you can’t cook anything more complicated than toast!
What to do?
If you’re in a dinner dilemma and need a great-tasting meal that is easy to
prepare, keep this one in mind.
It comes compliments of Sedona resident, Chef Wolfgang Lehnhardt
who Sedona.biz readers may remember from a previous article:
Sedona Artist and Chef.
In that article we had the opportunity to learn about Wolfgang's
life, his love of cooking, and view his beautiful
artwork. In this article, Wolfgang shares his recipe for
Stuffed Italian Chicken.
Stuffed Italian Chicken is a simple yet elegant
dish with a savory blend of flavors that can be prepared slightly ahead of time
and stored in its glass baking dish in the refrigerator. No need to pre-heat the
oven—just take the baking dish from the fridge and put it in the oven; set the
temperature to 350 degrees and the timer for 40 minutes. Then go primp! When
your company arrives and gets that first whiff of your delectable cuisine,
they’ll toast your culinary genius…
Stuffed Italian Chicken
½ split, boneless, skinless chicken breast per
serving
1 pinch of Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper—about 2 turns of the pepper
mill per serving
1 -2 slices of Pancetta Ham (cured Italian ham)
per serving, depending on thickness
1 slice of Lorraine Swiss or Havarti cheese per
serving
3 - 4 asparagus spears per serving
Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Stovetop Stuffing for Chicken, ¼ cup for each
serving, prepared ahead of time.
1 packet of Knorr Hollandaise Sauce mix
Prepare the Stovetop Chicken Stuffing as
directed on the box and set aside.
Spray baking dish with Pam or other non-stick
cooking spray. You’ll want to use a baking dish large enough to
accommodate as many servings as needed without crowding. Using a
meat mallet, pound the split chicken breasts until tender and about
¼” thick. Sprinkle one pinch of kosher salt and a pinch of fresh
ground pepper—about 2 turns of the pepper mill—on each breast. Lay 1
- 2 slices of the Pancetta Ham on each breast followed with 1 slice
of Lorraine Swiss or Havarti cheese. Spread ¼ cup of the prepared
stuffing on each breast and then lay 3 - 4 asparagus spears across
the stuffing. Roll the stuffed chicken breast so that the ends of
the chicken slightly overlap and secure with 2 – 3 toothpicks, as
needed. Carefully roll each breast in the Italian seasoned bread
crumbs and place in the glass baking dish, toothpick side up. Bake
at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
Hollandaise Sauce
1 packet of Knorr Hollandaise Sauce
¼ cup of butter = ½ stick
1 cup of milk
In a small saucepan whisk 1 cup of milk and
sauce mix until smooth. Add ¼ cup of butter. Stirring constantly,
bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring,
for one minute.
The Hollandaise Sauce may be prepared ahead of
time and heated in the microwave just prior to serving. When the
chicken comes out of the oven, place one serving on each dinner
plate and spoon Hollandaise generously over top.
A small Italian side salad of lettuce, baby
spinach, Roma tomatoes, Italian croutons, pepperoncini, a sprinkling
of Asiago Parmesan Cheese, and Italian dressing or oil and vinegar,
provides the perfect accompaniment to an otherwise already-perfect
meal! Join your guests and enjoy the kudos…!
Recipe is compliments of Sedona resident, Chef Wolfgang Lehnhardt