Thursday, April 13, 2006

Basil and Garlic stuffed Chicken Breasts

5 Tablespoons Butter, softened
2 Tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
3 Tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade fine
2 cloves of garlic
3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Flour or breadcrumbs (optional)
Olive Oil plus 1 tablespoon of butter

There’s a lot of butter in this recipe! Sheesh.

Crush garlic with the back of a chef’s knife and then smush together with the salt, making a paste. Combine with 5 Tablespoons butter, cheese, basil, parsley and black pepper, making a greenish spread. You could also use prepared pesto instead of the cheese and basil, if you wanted a short cut.

Lay the chicken on a cutting board, topside down. If it still has the tenderloin attached to it, cut it off and save for another use. Look for any gross tendony things and nip them off too. Then, find the thickest part of the breast and cut into it from the side, making essentially a pocket or pouch in the chicken. Try not to slice all the way through: It’s easier to make little slicing motions with the tip of your knife than to try to do this with one or two slices, which almost always ends up cutting too much away.

Spread a fourth of the greenish spread into the pocket, staying away from the opening if possible so that the slit stays more or less closed. Dredge chicken breasts in flour or breadcrumbs, if desired.

Heat a swirl of olive oil with a pat of butter in a large heavy skillet on Medium High. When the oil is looking ready, place chicken breasts in pan and cook until one side is done, then flip. Try to poke or squeeze the chicken as little as possible because that butter mixture will have melted and you’ll lose it into to the pan. Cook until chicken feels firm and a peek inside shows that it’s done.

Cutting the pockets and touching all the raw chicken is sort of a pain in the ass, but this so smells awesome when it's cooking and I always kick myself for not making a double batch, because there are never any leftovers to enjoy the next day.

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