Melinda Lee - Clear Channel, Los Angeles
I made this the other night for our family dinner, and thought I’d share
it with you because there are so many interesting ways to serve it – or to
vary the stuffing – and it can be made, up to the finishing-point, well in
advance. When deep fried at the correct temperature, a crisp shell forms quickly
on the outside of the rolled piece, and the inside is cooked by steaming. This
is actually a lower-fat cooking method than sautéing, because the food
absorbs very little oil! Careful draining after cooking and holding on a rack
in a barely-warmed oven ensure a crispy – and never greasy - result.
The stuffed chicken can be sliced “on the bias” for an attractive
presentation (it can even be finger food on a party buffet that way) or the
entire roll can be served whole. I like to present this chicken, cut or whole,
on top of a marinara sauce. My favorite marinara sauce is listed on this site
– but you may use a prepared store-bought sauce, as well – or another
sauce entirely. Check out the “variations” below the recipe to give
you some ideas about how else this dish might be prepared!
SERVES 12 (MAY BE MULTIPLIED OR DIVIDED)
12 half-breasts of chicken –skinned and boned
about 21 slices, boiled ham
about 25 slices, Monterey jack cheese
about 1/2 cup, prepared pesto or pureed basil in olive oil*
about 2 cups, all-purpose flour
4 large eggs (room temperature) – mixed with 4 teaspoons, water
about 5 cups, bread crumbs (or panko crumbs, or a combination)
vegetable oil (corn oil, canola oil, peanut oil) for deep frying
marinara or other sauce, if desired (see introductory note)
*Prepared pesto sauce may be purchased or home made. [Pesto is made by pureeing
together: fresh basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.]
Or simply puree fresh basil leaves (stems removed) in a blender or food processor,
adding enough flavorful olive oil to make a loose paste.
Prepare the chicken breasts for stuffing: Rinse and pat dry the chicken breast
halves. Place them, one at a time, between two plastic bags, and pound each
breast half gently with a meat pounder, a rolling pen, a pestle, the side of
a bottle, or other smooth, heavy instrument. Pound evenly until the chicken
is about 1/4–inch thick all over, and has almost doubled in size. Don’t
worry if the small flap of the breast separates, you’ll be able to pinch
it back together – but do not pound so aggressively that the meat becomes
torn in many places.
Prepare the ham and cheese stuffing: Stack the slices of ham and cheese in
3 stacks, each with 7 slices of ham, each ham slice separated by a same-size
slice of cheese. [This recipe calls for more slices of cheese than ham because
the cheese slices are usually shorter than the ham slices; having extra slices
of cheese means that you can break off pieces from the extra slices to make
reasonably even stacks of ham and cheese pieces.] Cut each stack of ham and
cheese crosswise into 4 “fingers” (rectangular shape). You will have
12 ham and cheese fingers for stuffing the chicken.
CHEF’S NOTE: You may find that the rectangles are a little bit too long
for enclosing in the pounded chicken breasts (depending on the size of the chicken
breasts). If this is the case, cut off about a one-inch-square piece at the
long end of each “finger” and set the trimmed-off pieces aside for
another use. Make sure your hands have not touched raw chicken before you cut
these pieces off; that way, you can use the excess pieces in salads or sandwiches
without cooking them.
Stuff the chicken pieces: Paint the top and sides of each ham and cheese finger
with pesto. Paint some pesto in the center of the large side of one pounded
chicken breast. Place the prepared ham and cheese rectangle on top of this pesto.
Fold the small side of the chicken breast over the ham and cheese finger, then
fold in the sides, then fold over the large side of the pounded chicken. The
idea is to completely enclose the ham and cheese with the chicken, tucking in
the sides – sort of like an Oriental egg roll. Set the stuffed chicken
seam-side down on a rack over a baking sheet and repeat with the other pieces.
Bread the chicken pieces for deep frying: In three shallow bowls place (1)
the flour, (2) the eggs stirred with the water, and (3) the bread crumbs or
panko crumbs. Salt and pepper each stuffed chicken piece and roll each carefully
in the flour, then roll it in the stirred egg mixture, being careful to coat
the floured chicken all over so the breadcrumbs will stick. Finally, roll the
chicken piece in the breadcrumbs, pressing the crumb coating gently to cover
completely. Place the coated/breaded stuffed chicken piece back on the rack
over the baking sheet and continue this process until all the chicken pieces
are coated. Allow to stand for about 30 minutes (or refrigerate for an hour
or more) to dry the bread crumbs a bit. Discard the bowls of flour and egg –
but keep the shallow bowl of breadcrumbs, in case another coating is needed
just before deep frying.
Deep fry the stuffed chicken: Heat the oil in a deep pot to 370-375 degrees
(do not fill pot with oil more than about halfway, to allow room for bubbling).
Using tongs or a wire basket “spider” or a slotted spoon, carefully
lower each stuffed chicken piece into the oil, and cook for 5 minutes or until
browned and crispy. Cook no more than 4 pieces at a time (to maintain the oil
temperature). Remove each piece when done and drain on a brown paper bag (best)
or paper towels. Replace chicken on the (washed) rack over the baking sheet
and keep the finished chicken in a 200 degree oven for a half hour or so until
serving time.
Serve the stuffed chicken: Slice the cooked stuffed chicken diagonally “on
the bias” or serve whole. If a sauce is used, serve the sauce under the
chicken for an attractive presentation. [A recipe for Amazing Marinara Sauce
is in our Recipe Archives on this website.)
Variations:
Chicken Kiev: Cream 2 sticks of softened butter with 2 tablespoons or so of
minced herbs (lots of parsley, some tarragon), some chopped shallots or chives
and a few drops of lemon juice. Form mixture into a rectangle, wrap in plastic
wrap and chill. Then cut into “fingers” and proceed as above. NOTE:
If Chicken Kiev is prepared, the chicken is served uncut so that the butter
squirts out a bit with the first cut. For that reason, do not hold Kiev in the
warm oven for longer than 20-30 minutes (butter will leak out or be absorbed).
Stuffed with foie gras: Cut a pate or mousse or terrine of foie gras into “fingers”
– or blend foie gras into softened butter, chill and cut into “fingers”
and proceed as above.
Stuffed with other meats and cheeses: Using the basic technique as described,
use prosciutto and/or other thin-sliced meats and other cheeses as well.
Stuffed with mushroom paste: Make a paste of mushrooms, called “duxelles”
by chopping mushrooms (1 1/2 cups, chopped for 12 chicken rolls) squeezing out
their water, then cooking them in a small amount of butter – adding tarragon,
port wine, and drops of cream to taste. Chill the mixture until it is firm enough
to form into “fingers” and proceed as above.
