There are a number of elements to this dish that make it one of the moistest, most flavorful chicken dishes I can remember tasting. First things first, the chicken fillets are seasoned with one of my favorite flavorings, that of Herbes de Provence: a fragrant mixture from the south of France that combines dried rosemary, lavender, savory, marjoram, thyme and oregano. Next, each fillet is stuffed with a creamy mixture of mascarpone cheese studded with roasted garlic, julienned sun-dried tomatoes, and lemon zest. This mixture keep the chicken moist as it bakes, but also flavors the chicken beautifully. Next, you wrap the stuffed chicken with thin slices of salty prosciutto along with a slice of lemon tucked underneath. The last element that makes this marvelous chicken so unbelievably tasty is a quick shallot-white wine pan sauce to go along with each and every bite. Served over peppery watercress or arugula, there is no doubt in my mind that you’ll be singing the praises of the Mediterranean region when you try my Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken Stuffed with Herbed Mascarpone.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken Stuffed with Herbed Mascarpone
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken fillets
- Salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon Herbes de Provence
- 3 Tablespoons mascarpone cheese
- 1 head of roast garlic
- 2 Tablespoons julienned sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 lemon slices
- 4 thin slices of prosciutto
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 shallots, sliced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- Watercress, for serving
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make a 2-inch slice into the thickest part of each side of each chicken fillet. (Don’t cut all the way through, you are just making a pocket to stuff in each fillet*) Season each fillet with salt, pepper and the herbes de provence.
- To make the stuffing, combine the mascarpone cheese, a few roast garlic cloves, a grinding of pepper, the sun-dried tomatoes and the lemon zest together in a small bowl. Stuff half of the mixture into each chicken fillet’s pocket that you have cut.
- Next, place a lemon slice on each seasoned and stuffed chicken fillet. Wrap 2 slices of the prosciutto around each chicken fillet to both hold the filling in and hold the lemon slice steady.
- Bake the chicken on a baking sheet in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Allow the chicken to cool while you make the sauce.
- For the sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add in the sliced shallots and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the shallots over medium heat until tender; deglaze the pan with the white wine and allow the sauce to reduce by half. Adjust the seasonings if necessary.
- Serve the chicken over watercress along with the shallot-white wine pan sauce.
Tagged: baked chicken, chicken, chicken breasts, garlic, herbes de provence, lemon, lemon zest, mascarpone cheese, prosciutto, prosciutto-wrapped chicken, roasted garlic, sauce, shallot pan sauce, shallots, stuffed chicken, sun dried tomatoes, white wine
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