Stuffed Chicken Breast

by LEON BOUTEILLER

Many years ago, long before I became a professional chef, I took a few classes at a local culinary arts and retail venue in Marbledale CT. Area chefs came and taught classes about kitchen technique using recipes that students with basic culinary ability would reproduce at home. I had a great interest in food preparation and was considering going to the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park NY at the time and thought this might get me a little closer to choosing my career.

I do not remember the name of the instructor or the name of his restaurant. I do remember that he impressed me with his ability and knowledge around a kitchen. The fact that he was capable and young gave me some inspiration to delve deeper into the culinary arts. The dish that we prepared was a whole chicken stuffed with crabmeat, mozzarella cheese and basil pesto. The tricky part was that we had to bone out the chicken without breaking the skin. This is a tedious procedure as you start at one end of the bird and peel the flesh away from the bones leaving only the wing joints intact. It is a great way to present a stuffed, whole chicken but without a video presentation, it would be impossible for me to explain how it’s done. So with that in mind, I’ve created a recipe that is relatively easy to prepare, is delicious and makes a nice presentation.

ROAST STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST with CRAB and BOURSIN

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skin on chicken breasts, 10 ounces each. If the wing drumstick is attached, that is okay
one 5.2 ounce Boursin cheese at room temperature
one 8 ounce container lump crabmeat, drained
4 slices of fresh white, wheat or gluten free bread, crusts removed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
olive oil to coat the chicken
seasoning mix, recipe to follow
lemon butter sauce, recipe to follow

Method:

as gently as you can, mix the crabmeat, Boursin cheese and bread until evenly blended
lay the chicken breasts on a flat surface and with a sharp knife, make a slit horizontally almost all of the way through the breast creating a deep pocket
stuff 1/4 of the crab mixture into each breast
with kitchen twine, tie each breast 4 times evenly spaced along its length being careful to not have any of the stuffing exposed
rub each piece of chicken with olive oil
sprinkle each piece of chicken, all over, with the seasoning mix
place the prepared chicken breasts on an oiled roasting pan
roast in a preheated 400F degree oven for ten minutes
lower the heat to 350F degrees and continue to cook for another 20 to 25 minutes
remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes

For The Spice Mix:

1 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon fine salt
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 tablespoon dry thyme
2 tablespoons masa harina or corn flour
place all ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly

For The Lemon Butter Sauce:

1 cup white wine mixed with 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
juice of one medium lemon
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
salt and white pepper to taste
in a small sauté pan, bring the wine with the dissolved cornstarch and the lemon juice to a boil and reduce by half
add in the heavy cream and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the butter cubes a few at a time until they are all incorporated. Remove from the heat, but keep warm

For Service:

carefully remove the strings from the chicken breasts
slice each piece into four or five pieces
arrange on serving plates along with a side or two of your choosing
dress the chicken with the lemon butter sauce

I like this recipe for it is absolutely delicious and makes a nice presentation. It certainly makes for a special meal but is fine any time. As far as sides go, some type of grain like rice, farro, millet or potatoes work well. The accompanying picture is with pearl cous cous. Just don’t overdo the spices or seasoning. Let the chicken and lemon butter sauce flavors shine. Enjoy!