Chicken Stuffed with Fontina, Artichokes, and Sundried Tomatoes

As part of my quest to clear out recipes in my "to-do" box, I picked up some Fontina cheese today to make this dish.  On my way home, I thought - stuffed chicken breast... that probably means I'll be standing around beating the fight out of these chickens to flatten them out, which won't really go too well with my shoulder injury.  But to my pleasant surprise, this prep method was quite painless, and didn't require use of a hammer.

This dish came together very quickly, and with the right tools, it's fast, easy, and succulent.  I didn't know what to expect of the Fontina cheese, which is kind of like a Gouda but much softer, and perhaps smelled a bit more ripe.  This pungency survived the cooking process, and added a nice tang to complement the sweet herb flavor of the basil, the tartness of the sun-dried tomatoes, and the mellow garlicky base of the artichokes.  And to top that off, the mix was crammed inside of one of the most juicy chicken breasts I may have ever cooked.  Not too shabby.

I couldn't believe how moist these came out, and how quickly they cooked given their size.  Huge fan of this cooking method now.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Fontina, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
from Bon Appétit, February 2008
 

• 1 6-ounce jar marinated artichokes, drained, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Fontina cheese
• 1/4 cup (packed) drained, coarsely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh basil
• 2 5-ounce skinless boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

The setup

Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix artichokes, cheese, tomatoes, and basil in medium bowl. Using small sharp knife and working with 1 chicken breast at a time, cut 2-inch-long slit horizontally into 1 side of chicken breast. Move knife back and forth in slit to form pocket. Divide 1 cup cheese mixture among chicken pockets (reserve remainder for frittata). Press edges to seal. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

Make your filling by coarsely chopping the ingredients and tossing together loosely to combine.  Don't squeeze it too tightly, or you'll end up with a cheese log.

This was way too much fun - slice through the side of the chicken breast and make a pocket, like you're opening a pita.  Don't slice through the opposite side, you want only one narrow slit and a huge cavern into which you will cram the filling.

Now spoon that filling in there, but don't overstuff

Heat oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over high heat.  I vote cast iron, but stainless steel will work if that's what you've got.  Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes.  Turn the chicken over, and immediately transfer the skillet to the oven.  Bake until cooked through, about (note: about, not exactly) 10 minutes.

Note that the filling wasn't so tightly packed that it started escaping out the side.  You'll burn your cheese if you do that, and nobody like that.

Get a nice browned crust on one side, then flip and transfer to the oven.

How do you know when it's done?  Get out your digital thermometer, and test the center.  If it's not at 160 or higher, add another few minutes.  After 10 minutes, mine was at 130.  So I gave it another 5, and it was perfect.  If you want to be safe, bring it up to 170, but even that will start to dry it out too much.  Serve with a starch and some kind of green vegetable, but ideally nothing too powerful to drown out the flavors of this.

 

The finished dish, served over spinach with roasted potatoes