Stuffed Chicken Rolls

Boneless skinless chicken breast is known for being a good source of lean protein, which is just great for boneless skinless chicken breast. However, what lies behind this truth is a seedy underbelly: a mean reputation for being bland and dry. [Shriek!] I like to un-enhealthify things with that kind of reputation. It’s like I’ve said about wonderfully healthy, but sometimes un-loved vegetables like Brussels sprouts and beets: they just need a muse. Like cheese.

Goat cheese offers its tang and sun-dried tomatoes sweeten the deal. White wine makes a flavorful sauce. With the exception of the sauce, the last 15 minutes are spent in the oven, and once construction gets going it’s easy to double or triple the recipe, making this dish a valid contender for dinner parties. And people always seem impressed buy stuffed meats, don’t they?

Stuffed Chicken Rolls – serves 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 – 4 ounce log of goat cheese, sliced into medallions
4 sun-dried tomato pieces in olive oil (about 1 inch in length), diced
2 T olive oil, reserved from the tomatoes
1/2 t salt
1/2 C flour
1/2 C white wine
1 T butter

Mix four with salt in a shallow bowl and set aside.

Pound the chicken breasts to flatten. Place one medallion in the center of each. Top with diced sun-dried tomatoes.

Fold sides up around the cheese and tie like a present, using an 18 inch piece of kitchen string for each.

Dredge each parcel in flour and shake off the excess. Allow to rest in the refrigerator for ten minutes.

Heat the reserved olive oil in a 10 inch oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken rolls in pan, seam-side down to seal. Cook 5 – 7 minutes and, using tongs, carefully, carefully turn each piece. Allow to brown another 5 – 7 minutes, watching to be sure the cheese isn’t seeping through. If the cheese isn’t running out at this point, carefully sear the sides of each piece, using the tongs. Return each piece to their seam-side up positions (this will create a little bowl so that the cheese will not flow directly out.

Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 15- 20 minutes.

Remove from oven (Hot Tip: Wear your mitts on both hands from this point on so that you don’t accidentally grab the hot skillet handle! That thing stays hot for a good hour, depending on you pans. I may or may not know this from experience. A hot tip indeed, my friends. A hot tip indeed.) Gently shake the pan to loosen the chicken and transfer to a warmed plate. Carefully cut and remove the string.

Over medium heat on the stove top, deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up all the bits. Bring to a simmer and allow the the alcohol to cook off. Add a teaspoon of butter and swirl to thicken. Whisk together to form a sauce.

Top the chicken with the sauce and serve.

Ingredient origins: Organic chicken – Unknown; sun-dried tomatoes – California; olive oil – Italy; salt – Italy; flour – Vermont; white wine – California; capers – Italy