Best Cheese Stuffed Chicken With Apricot Sauce Recipes

ROAST CHICKEN WITH APRICOT STUFFING

Steps:

• Put 1/3 cup olive oil, the garlic, 1 tablespoon marjoram, the lemon zest and juice, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a mini food processor and pulse to make a paste. Loosen the chicken skin with your fingers. Rub the paste under and over the skin and inside the cavity. Put the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Make the stuffing: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red onion, celery and dried apricots and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the bread and parsley and cook, stirring, until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Fill the chicken cavity with the stuffing, tie the legs together with twine and put breast-side up on a rack in a roasting pan; tuck the wings underneath. Roast until the skin begins to brown, about 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue roasting until deep golden brown, about 1 more hour. (Cover loosely with foil if it's browning too quickly.)
• Whisk the preserves and vinegar in a small bowl; brush on the chicken and continue roasting until the skin is crisp and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 20 more minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before carving. Garnish with marjoram sprigs.

GOAT CHEESE, APRICOT, AND SAGE-STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a medium-size saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Don't let the onions and garlic brown. Next, add the chopped sage and salt and pepper to taste, and cook until the onions are translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the apricots and cook until heated through, 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Thoroughly mix in the goat cheese and set aside. (This can be made up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before stuffing the chicken breasts.)
• Place each chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. With a kitchen mallet, a cleaver, or a heavy tin can, such as a can of tomatoes, pound the breasts until they are between 1/8 and 1/4-inch thick. (They will not roll easily if they are too thick.) Season with salt and pepper.
• Spread about 1/4 cup of the stuffing down the center of each chicken breast. Fold up the short ends of the chicken breast, and then roll one long side jelly-roll-fashion to the other side. Tie the ends with string to secure them. Place the egg in a shallow bowl and the panko crumbs in another shallow bowl. Dip the chicken in the egg, and then roll in the panko crumbs until completely coated. In an ovenproof saute pan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the pan and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Then put the pan in the oven and bake until the chicken is a deep golden color and firm when pressed, 10 to 12 minutes.
• After the chicken breasts come out of the oven, remove the strings and put them on a warmed platter; tent with foil. Next, place the pan over high heat and deglaze it with the wine. Boil until reduced to about 1 tablespoon, 1 to 2 minutes, and then add the chicken stock. Boil until reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes, and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and swirl in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter.
• Cut each breast in half crosswise and place one half on its side on the plate. Lean the second half against the first, facing down. Alternatively, slice breast into even slices. Drizzle with the sauce, garnish with sage leaves, and serve immediately.

STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS W/ APRICOT GLAZE

Steps:

• Rinse and then pat dry two whole chicken breasts, preferably on the bone, skin attached.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, including under the skin, and in the natural split in the meat. This is where the stuffing will go.
• Set aside in refrigerator while preparing the stuffing.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Sauté diced vegetables for stuffing in enough vegetable oil to coat the pan.
• Start with the onion, then add the mushrooms, celery, adding the herbs last, until all the vegetables are soft and aromatic.
• Add sauté to cubes of bread in a bowl off of the heat, mixing together.
• Add hot stock (veggie stock is fine, here too) a little at a time, making sure the bread soaks it up.
• Add one lightly scrambled egg to the mixture.
• Take out your chicken a prepare to stuff! Use your fingers to open the split further, and start filling it in with stuffing, until just a bit is mounding out of the chicken. The moisture of the stuffing will help to keep in it place.
• You may use cotton kitchen string to keep skin and stuffing all in place, or toothpicks.
• Heat a large sauté pan to medium high, with enough oil to coat the pan(I use the same pan I sauté the vegetables in).
• Add the breasts skin side down until the skin is turning golden.
• While chicken is in pan, mix apricot jam with water, heating in microwave to soften, approximately one minute.
• Turn breasts in pan over and sear for five minutes.
• Turning off heat on stove top, coat the chicken, skin side up, with the apricot glaze, and letting any excess pour into pan.
• Place in the oven until done, about fifteen more minutes. Using a meat thermometer, the chicken should be at about 175 - 180°F.
• If serving several courses, these breasts can be served in halves. It's quite a bit of meat, and looks nice cut crosswise, showing the stuffing.