CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH SHIITAKES AND PROVOLONE

facebook share image   twitter share image   pinterest share image   E-Mail share image



Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Shiitakes and Provolone image

Categories     Cheese     Chicken     Mushroom     Roast     Quick & Easy     Shallot     Gourmet

Yield Makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 (6-oz) piece provolone
6 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded
1/4 cup chopped shallot (1 large)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 chicken breast halves with skin and bones (2 1/2 to 3 lb total)

Steps:

  • Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 500°F. Line a shallow baking pan with foil.
  • Coarsely grate cheese and set aside in a medium bowl. Pulse mushrooms and shallot in a food processor with thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until finely chopped.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté mushroom mixture, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir into cheese (some cheese will melt).
  • Pat chicken dry, then cut a deep 3-inch-long pocket horizontally in long curved side of each chicken breast half and fill each pocket with one fourth of cheese mixture (some filling will be visible).
  • Put chicken in baking pan, then melt remaining tablespoon butter and brush over chicken. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast until cooked through and cheese is melted (filling will ooze), 20 to 25 minutes.

There are no comments yet!