Stuffed Chicken

Stuffed Chicken Recipes

When I was growing up, my parents never made Chicken Kiev. We were raised on buckwheat and kotletkas*, which is the russian equivalent of rice and
beans or pasta and meat loaf. You therefore might understand my
amazement when I saw a dish like the Kiev that came both coated in bread
and stuffed with spiced buttery deliciousness.

Perhaps in opposition to the bland food of my past, I grew up
experimenting with flavor in my own cooking. Below are four variations
on the dish that first primed my taste buds for the world of flavor
that’s out there.

*Kotletki (plural & deminutive) are pan-fried minced meat cakes with herbs. A great recipe by Lola Mansurov can be foundhere.

Traditional Baked Chicken Kiev
Adapted (surprisingly) from http://www.Easy-French-Food.com, Serves 4.

For the herb butter:
8 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped tarragon
¼ teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon salt (if butter unsalted)
juice of 1/2 lemon

For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 ¾ cups fine bread crumbs (You can make your own by sticking oven dried bread or croutons into a blender)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
Begin by preparing the herb butter.

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add shallot and cook until translucent (don’t let it color). Add garlic and heat another 1 minute.
2. Remove from skillet, add to mixture of herbs, and mix with remainder of butter.
3. Sprinkle with lemon juice and mound the butter on a piece of plastic wrap and mold into a log. Cover completely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until hard.
4. Meanwhile, flatten the chicken breasts by wrapping them in plastic wrap and hammering them with a meat hammer or a rolling pin until they are about 1/3 inch thick. Don’t mangle them – just get them on the slender side.
5. Prepare three shallow bowls for dipping: one with flour, one with the beaten egg, and one with the bread crumbs.
6. Remove the hardened butter from the refrigerator and slice into eight equal portions (each piece should be a little less long than the chicken breast is wide). Place a piece of butter towards one end of each chicken breast and then roll the meat up tightly round the butter. Tuck in the edges and any stray bits as you roll. Press firmly together.
7. Dredge each chicken roll thoroughly in flour, then egg, and finally in bread crumbs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Be sure everything is well coated. Place the chicken rolls on a plate and refrigerate for 1/2 hour before frying.
8. Follow the same method for preparing the herb butter and chicken as above. Instead of deep fat frying, lightly oil a baking dish and place the breaded chicken rolls in this. Dot the chicken with additional butter and bake at 375°F for about 30 minutes or until the juices run clear and the chicken is cooked through.
9. Serve hot and watch out when you cut into these as the butter is likely to squirt out.

Goat cheese and apple stuffed chicken breast
Serves 6

6 whole chicken breasts, boned and split
2 med. granny smith apples, peeled and cored
3 tbsp. butter
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. basil
2 tbsp. cognac or sherry
1/2 cup goat cheese

1. Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap, and pound with mallet until thin.
2. Grate apples and set aside.
3. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Sauté onion and garlic until tender. Stir in apple, salt, rosemary, and basil. Stir cornstarch into apple juice until smooth. Stir in over low heat until thoroughly mixed.
4. Add cognac or sherry.
5. Spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of apple mixture and 1 tablespoon of goat cheese onto one side of each chicken breast.
6. Roll up, tucking in ends, and secure with wood picks.
7. Place in a buttered casserole dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (thermometer reads 160°F).

Poached Swiss Cheese and Spinach Garlic Stuffed Chicken (“Healthy Cordon Bleu”)
Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
5 cloves of minced garlic
4 ounces fresh or frozen spinach
4 slices Swiss cheese
6 cups water

1. Using a mallet or meat tenderizer, pound the chicken breasts until the meat is flat and even.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add a layer of spinach and a slice of Swiss cheese. Sprinkle garlic on top.
3. Roll each breast tightly to ensure that the filling cannot escape. Wrap each breast tightly in aluminum foil.
4. In a deep pan, bring the water to a boil. Place the foil-wrapped breasts into the water. Use a heat-proof plate to weigh the chicken breasts down and keep them completely submerged in the water.
5. Allow them to simmer in the water for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is completely done.
6. Remove the chicken from the water and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Couscous Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Fromhttp://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/
Serves 4

1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup whole wheat couscous
1 clove of garlic, minced
Dash of oregano (plus more for the chicken)
3 tbsp grape tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp kalamata olives, diced
2 tbsp feta cheese
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp lemon rind, grated
2 tsp olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (recipe calls for 4)
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring the broth to a boil in a small saucepan; remove from heat and add the couscous, minced garlic, and dash of oregano. Cover with a lid and let stand for 4-5 minutes; fluff with a fork.
2. Cool for 10 minutes. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste then add the tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, parsley, and lemon grind and mix thoroughly.
3. Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap; pound to an ¼ inch thickness. I sliced one breast in half for smaller portions for my children and I and left one whole breast for my husband. Season both sides of the flattened chicken with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and oregano, to taste.
4. Spoon the couscous mixture onto the center of the chicken breasts; roll up jelly roll fashion. Secure with toothpicks.
5. Heat an OVEN PROOF skillet over medium high heat and drizzle with the olive oil.
6. Add chicken rolls to the hot pan and cook on all sides a total of six minutes, making sure the whole roll is nicely browned. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 5 minutes or until the chicken is done.
7. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing carefully and serving. Enjoy.