No bones about it: Chicken breasts better with stuffing
I’ve always held that reasonable men and women may disagree over matters of substance, such as boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Some follow the sincerely held position that chicken breasts are dreary, insipid and bland. Others argue just as passionately that they are boring and flavorless. And a third group holds that they are just plain blah.
Can’t we all just get along? Can’t we agree that boneless, skinless chicken breasts are bland, boring and blah?
Now that we are all united in peace and harmony, perhaps we can work together to improve the situation. Perhaps we can strive to make chicken breasts exciting again. It can be done. Just stuff it. Think of it as a pita made of chicken. You simply slice it horizontally almost all the way through, forming a pocket. Then, fill it with a stuffing of your choosing.
I was feeling ambitious, so I created several different stuffings. Because I love Italian food, I made one from sauteed tomatoes, basil and parmesan cheese. I added mushrooms and Swiss cheese to another, essentially taking the toppings of one of my favorite grilled chicken sandwiches and putting them inside the chicken.
And I looked toward Asia in another, combining shallots, mushrooms, ginger, scallions and soy sauce.
Each, in its own way, was special. I stayed with traditional combinations that go well with chicken, but when you stuff a chicken breast you can let your imagination soar.
You will see that there are a million ways to make chicken breasts exciting.
Stuffed Chicken Breasts
2 boneless, skinless chicken
breasts 2 tablespoons butter, divided
use Desired filling (recipes
follow) ½ cup dry white wine Heat oven to 375 degrees. Make a pocket in each breast by cutting it horizontally almost all the way to the far side. Stuff with desired filling, or make one up yourself. Close pockets with wooden picks.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cook chicken until golden brown on both sides. Do not clean this pan. Transfer chicken to a rimmed baking sheet or a pan. Cook in oven until done, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, over mediumhigh heat, reheat the original pan in which you cooked the chicken (skip this whole step if you made Asian-Style stuffing). Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Boil the wine until it reduces by about half. Remove from the heat and add the remaining butter, swirling it in the pan until it is completely incorporated with the reduced wine. Pour this sauce over the cooked chicken, and serve. Makes 2 servings. Italian-Style: Melt 1½ teaspoons butter in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Saute ¼ cup PLUS 1 tablespoon diced tomatoes or sliced cherry tomatoes until softened. Add 2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil and remove from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, and stuff in equal portions into chicken breasts.
Mushroom ’n’ Swiss: Melt 1 ½ teaspoons butter in a medium pan over mediumhigh heat. Add ½ cup sliced mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and saute until mushrooms release their liquid. Stuff into chicken breasts in equal portions, and add ½ ounce of sliced Swiss cheese to each pocket.
Asian-Style: In a medium pan over medium-high heat, heat 1½ teaspoons oil. Add 1 small shallot (chopped) and 1 teaspoon minced ginger and cook until shallot is translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add ½ cup sliced mushrooms, season with pepper, and cook until mushrooms release their liquid. Stir in soy sauce (to taste) and 1 tablespoon chopped green onion. Stuff into chicken breasts in equal portions.