Cranberry Fontina And Walnut Stuffed Chicken Breasts Recipes

FONTINA AND BACON-STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Make deep 1-inch-long cut with knife parallel to cutting board inside of each chicken breast half to form pocket. Combine cheese, bacon and basil in small bowl. Evenly stuff pockets with cheese mixture, then press edges together to seal. Brush chicken with olive oil, then dip in bread crumbs, turning to coat. Arrange chicken on baking sheets. Bake 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.
• Meanwhile, cook spinach, water and garlic in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until spinach is wilted. Stir in Sauce and heat through. To serve, arrange hot fettuccine on serving platter, then top with sauce mixture and chicken. Garnish, if desired, with additional chopped basil.

STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH CRANBERRY QUINOA

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add quinoa and thyme. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat; fluff with a fork. Discard thyme. , In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add green onions and celery; cook and stir until tender. Add cooked quinoa. Stir in the dried fruits, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt., In a large saucepan, mix the first six chicken ingredients until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until slightly thickened. Add the apple, cranberries and walnuts. Stir in preserves and butter until melted. , Cut a pocket horizontally in the thickest part of each chicken breast. Fill each with 2-3 tablespoons quinoa mixture; secure with toothpicks. Place remaining quinoa mixture in a greased 1-qt. baking dish; cover with foil. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Carefully brown stuffed chicken on both sides. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; pour apple mixture over top., Bake chicken and quinoa, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 170° and quinoa is heated through. Serve chicken with quinoa. Discard toothpicks before serving.

WALNUT-CRUSTED CHICKEN BREAST

Steps:

• Mix garlic, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, and thyme together in a bowl to make the "nut glue."
• Season chicken breasts generously with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Spread nut glue all over the chicken. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Toss walnuts over the chicken, press down firmly, and repeat on the other side to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for 1 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Coat the bottom of an oven-proof skillet with some olive oil. Place chicken breasts on top, reserving excess nuts if desired. Season with a pinch of salt and drizzle more olive oil on top.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until walnuts are lightly toasted and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a breast reads 150 degrees F (66 degrees C), about 25 minutes.
• Quickly remove chicken to a plate to rest. Transfer skillet to the stovetop; stir in broth, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, and honey and bring to a boil over high heat; cook until reduced by about half, 3 to 4 minutes. Spoon pan sauce over and around the chicken to serve.

CRANBERRY-GORGONZOLA STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. In a small bowl, combine cheese and cranberries. Spoon 1/4 cup cheese mixture down the center of each chicken breast. Roll up and secure with toothpicks., Place walnuts and parsley in a food processor; cover and process until ground. Transfer to a shallow bowl; stir in the bread crumbs, salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, combine eggs and mustard. Place flour in a third shallow bowl. Coat chicken with flour, then dip in egg mixture and coat with walnut mixture., Place seam side down in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170°. Discard toothpicks.

CHICKEN STUFFED WITH CRANBERRIES AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Wrap the chicken breast in plastic wrap and flatten them until they are thin. Marinate with salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne and garlic. Let sit for half an hour.
• For the stuffing, heat the oil and sauté the onion. Add the rest of the ingredients and sauté for two minutes. Let cool.
• Add 4 tablespoons of the filling to the surface of each chicken breast. Wrap like a roll and keep closed with toothpicks.
• Wrap in aluminum foil. Place in a baking tray and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
• Remove the toothpicks before serving.

CRANBERRY, FONTINA AND WALNUT STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Chicken -- now I like to take advantage of the frozen chicken breasts for this. They tender to be a bit smaller and once thawed are are bit easier to flatten out. I found some of the fresh boneless skinless breasts are so big they are actually too big for me, but use what ever you have. I just flatten mine with my mallet in between saran wrap, but you can use what method you like best.
• Filling -- In a medium sauce pan (use a oven proof pan) add 1 tablespoon of the butter and melt on medium heat. Add the celery, onion and garlic and just sweat on medium until they get nice and soft. Cook 4 minutes, then add in the cranberries and cook another 2 minutes and then the walnuts. Mix all until everything is soft and well combined. Remove and let cool slightly.
• Stuffing the chicken -- Just lay out your chicken breasts flat, salt and pepper and then add a little of the cranberry and vegetable stuffing. Top it with some fresh grated cheese. As I said, I love fontina, but you can use a gruyere or even swiss if you want. Then roll up the chicken. Just roll up and try to tuck in the sides as you go. I like to use a couple of tooth picks to secure it at the end.
• Dredging the Cooking -- Add flour, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to a small bowl and the egg to a second bowl, now dredge each chicken in the egg and then the flour/breadcrumb mixture to coat well. Now, in the same pan you cooked the vegetables in add the remainder of the butter and olive oil and bring to medium high heat. Cook each chicken breast on all sides just a couple minute until lightly brown.
• Glaze -- Keep the chicken in that pan, it is going in the oven. But first, mix the apple jelly and sage and heat in the microwave in a measuring cup just 20 seconds to thin out. Then brush on the chicken on all sides. Transfer the pan to oven and cook on 375 for about 10-15 minutes, turn the chicken over half way through and brush on more glaze. until golden brown.
• Remove the chicken cover and let set a few minutes until the juices re distribute. Then slice into pretty slices and serve with my apple and onion wild rice. A nice farmers market green beans or roasted beets make this perfect.