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Chicken breast stuffed with cheese and a fragrant duxelle of mushrooms
I love mushrooms! And since I had bought tons of fresh portobello mushrooms yesterday, I decided to make some chicken breasts stuffed with cheese and a fragrant duxelles of mushrooms.
I chopped the mushrooms [you need about 500 gm for 4 chicken breasts] a little more coarsely than for a normal duxelle, and added lots of chopped garlic [4 cloves] instead of the traditional French shallot, as well as some fresh thyme sprigs. At the end of cooking, I added a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley, freshly grated pepper and sea salt, and used the mixture to stuff the skinned & boned breasts. Sautee in a large, heavy bottomed pan in extra virgin olive oil, stirring frequently, and adding garlic towards the end of cooking. I then added a few thin slices of aged cheddar cheese which is a nice compliment to the garlicky mushrooms [the cheese will melt into the duxelles and help bind them].
Then I sautéed the stuffed breasts just a few minutes on each side over med-high heat until golden [in extra virgin olive oil], before finishing in the oven at 160C [325F] for about 15 minutes – this keeps the breasts moist.
Meanwhile, I had prepared a tomato and fresh basil sauce to go with the pasta.
I served the chicken breasts with the pasta and tomato sauce as well as some French beans for a nice contrast in textures and colours.
To make this dish extra special, use about 1/3 porcini mushrooms [known as cèpes in France] and 2/3 regular mushrooms, and replace the aged cheddar or gruyere cheese with provolone or another flavourful Italian cheese. Deglaze the pan with some marsala and pour over the breasts in the baking dish before finishing in the oven. Serve with a green vegetable such as buttered, wilted baby spinach or broccoli rabe, and either pasta or sautéed potatoes and rosemary.
NB Make sure all the liquid has evaporated from the mushroom duxelles before stuffing the breasts. Also sprinkle the inside of the breasts with a little salt and pepper before stuffing. I actually sliced them open partially which makes stuffing & seasoning easier :->
Chicken breast stuffed with cheese and a fragrant duxelle of mushrooms
I love mushrooms! And since I had bought tons of fresh portobello mushrooms yesterday, I decided to make some chicken breasts stuffed with cheese and a fragrant duxelles of mushrooms.
I chopped the mushrooms [you need about 500 gm for 4 chicken breasts] a little more coarsely than for a normal duxelle, and added lots of chopped garlic [4 cloves] instead of the traditional French shallot, as well as some fresh thyme sprigs. At the end of cooking, I added a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley, freshly grated pepper and sea salt, and used the mixture to stuff the skinned & boned breasts. Sautee in a large, heavy bottomed pan in extra virgin olive oil, stirring frequently, and adding garlic towards the end of cooking. I then added a few thin slices of aged cheddar cheese which is a nice compliment to the garlicky mushrooms [the cheese will melt into the duxelles and help bind them].
Then I sautéed the stuffed breasts just a few minutes on each side over med-high heat until golden [in extra virgin olive oil], before finishing in the oven at 160C [325F] for about 15 minutes – this keeps the breasts moist.
Meanwhile, I had prepared a tomato and fresh basil sauce to go with the pasta.
I served the chicken breasts with the pasta and tomato sauce as well as some French beans for a nice contrast in textures and colours.
To make this dish extra special, use about 1/3 porcini mushrooms [known as cèpes in France] and 2/3 regular mushrooms, and replace the aged cheddar or gruyere cheese with provolone or another flavourful Italian cheese. Deglaze the pan with some marsala and pour over the breasts in the baking dish before finishing in the oven. Serve with a green vegetable such as buttered, wilted baby spinach or broccoli rabe, and either pasta or sautéed potatoes and rosemary.
NB Make sure all the liquid has evaporated from the mushroom duxelles before stuffing the breasts. Also sprinkle the inside of the breasts with a little salt and pepper before stuffing. I actually sliced them open partially which makes stuffing & seasoning easier :->