Chicken Breasts With Fontina and Prosciutto

In  bon appetit magazine there is a section called "Weeknight Cooking." The recipes are generally quick and easy and overall are great to eat.  One of the selections, in the March 2011 issue, was for Chicken Breasts With Fontina and Prosciutto. (What is not to like about all  those delicious nouns?) The chicken breast are boneless, so that they cook quickly.  I prefer to buy them with the bone in so my local butcher does not steal the tenderloin! (Did you know they do this?) If you are not good at deboning a chicken check out Chef Paul and his YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYQLlPJ8vjc

One of the problems I had was keeping the stuffing under the skin. The skin shrinks and the goodies ooze out while browning the breasts. It really isn't a problem if some of the goodies end up in your gravy. The second time I made this I used twine to tie the skin around each chicken breast - the stuffing still oozed out but the finished product looked a little better. No matter how you do this the end results are moist, tender and above all an absolutely delicious dish.

Chicken Breasts With Fontina And Prosciutto
Prep: 40 minutes     Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coarsely grated Fontina cheese
1/3 cup (packed) soft garlic-herb cheese (such as Boursin)
1/3 cup (packed) chopped prosciutto
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 large boneless chicken breasts halves with skin
2 tablespoons chilled butter, divided
3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup Marsala

Looks like I've got everything! It that gin and tonic part of the recipe?

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine cheeses, prosciutto, and basil in small bowl. Season stuffing with freshly ground black pepper.






Run finger under skin of chicken breasts to loosen. Spread stuffing under skin. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high head. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, turning once, about 10 minutes Transfer to rimmed baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm.

Add broth and Marsala to skillet; bring to boil and cook until sauce is reduced to scant 1/2 cup, scraping up browned bits, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in 1 tablespoon butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Place chicken on plates. Add any juices from baking sheet to sauce. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.





This dish easily divides in half for you and yours and would be a terrific supper for entertaining your "we like to be in the kitchen" kind of friends. Bon appetit suggests a side of orzo with a green salad and a light Italian red wine like Dolcetto. Finish with sorbet and chopped dark chocolate.

What's not to like!

Life is good - enjoy!