Cheese Stuffed Chicken With Apricot Sauce Recipes

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.

CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN WITH APRICOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Combine remaining ingredients, except butter.
• Using your finger, carefully separate skin from flesh, leaving one side attached.
• Lift unattached skin and spoon 1/6 of stuffing between skin and chicken, smooth and close opening with a toothpick.
• Place skin side up in a shallow baking dish, brush with melted butter and bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile prepare the sauce:.
• In a sauce pan combine chicken broth, apricot nectar and cornstarch, cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
• Add brandy and chopped apricots, cook 2 minutes more.
• To serve, pour sauce over chicken and garnish with chopped chives or parsley.

CHICKEN BREAST STUFFED WITH BLUE CHEESE AND APRICOT

Steps:

• Pound the chicken breasts until thin and even. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on both sides.
• Place 1/2 and ounce of the blue cheese in the center of each chicken breast and top with 1 T. of the apricot preserves.
• Cut 6 of the dried apricots in half and place 3 slices in the middle of each chicken breast.
• Roll the breasts closed and secure with toothpicks or butchers twine. (I used butchers twine, it's a lot easier.
• Mix the bread crumbs, flour, oregano, rosemary and thyme together in a bowl, then moisten each chicken breast with a little water and roll in the bread crumb mixture. There's no need to completely coat the chicken breast, just a light dusting will do, unless you desire a heavier crust.
• Place chicken breasts in a baking dish and drizzle a small amount of honey on top of each breast. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes.
• After you take the chicken breast out of the oven, allow it to sit for 10 minutes or so for the blue cheese and apricot mixture to firm up a little.
• Meanwhile, chop the remaining dried apricots into small pieces and place in a small sauté pan with the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once it boils, add the butter and then allow the mixture to reduce to half. When serving the chicken breasts, pour a little of the mixture on top of each.

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.