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Stuffed chicken breasts December 18, 2008 The big day is looming fast and if that thought strikes a chill in your heart, what about the poor turkeys? While Christmas falls in the southern hemisphere summer, there are still plenty of us Down Under who like the northern tradition of turkey with all the trimmings. Thanks to owning only a small freezer these days, the sheer logistics of having turkey on my own Christmas menu has become too challenging. And given that one son will be working night shifts over the festive season, a large turkey might end up turning into a bit of an albatross in the following days. I was stuffing some chicken breasts for dinner recently and the recipe I came up with would make a good dish for a small Christmas gathering. It’s easy to prepare, doesn’t take long to cook and could be served hot with traditional vegetables if it’s not too sweltering to toil in the kitchen, or served chilled with salads if it’s a hot day.
Stuffed Chicken Breasts 4 medium free range chicken breasts Wash, dry and shred the silver beet or spinach. Saute with the crushed garlic in olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Drain and mix with the pine nuts, craisins and breadcrumbs and allow to cool. Spread open the chicken breasts, place between two sheets of plastic wrap and flatten with a meat mallet. Divide the stuffing mix into four and spread some on one half of each chicken breast. Fold over the other half and tie with butcher’s string. Take an ovenproof pan and heat a little oil. Brown the chicken breasts on each side on the stove top then place the pan in a pre-heated 180C oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the pan and rest for five minutes. Meanwhile, deglaze the pan with white wine or verjuice then add the mustard, water and balsamic vinegar and stir well. Remove the string from the chicken, slice and place on a serving dish. Drizzle with the pan juices. Alternatively the chicken breasts could be served whole.
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