Chicken Rolls Stuffed with Mushrooms and Fontina Cheese

Just a nice chicken dish. If you want a shortcut, forget the pounding and rolling and just cut a pocket into the middle of the chicken breast for the stuffing.

 

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter, divided

1 garlic clove, peeled but left whole

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 cup diced mushrooms

2 Tablespoons chicken or vegetable stock

1 ½ cups seasoned dry bread crumbs, divided (you may only need 1 cup total, but I always play it safe when breading-I hate to get stuff back out of the pantry)

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped—divided

½ cup fontina cheese, diced into small cubes

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic clove and cook about 5 minutes on medium low (until you can smell the garlic but it isn’t browned). Add the tomatoes and a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered 30 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic clove. Reduce the heat to very low to keep warm while prepping the rest of the dish.

Melt the remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and stock. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and pan juices to a mixing bowl and let cool. Keep the skillet handy, but off the heat for now. Once the mushrooms are cooled, toss with ½ cup of the bread crumbs, 1 Tablespoon of parsley, the cheese and a little salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pound the chicken breasts to about ¼ inch thickness between two sheets of wax paper. Spread 1/3 of the mushroom filling over each breast, pack it tightly on the chicken and roll up. Secure with toothpicks. Brush with olive oil and then into the remaining bread crumbs and roll to coat. Heat the remaining 1 Tb. Of butter in the skillet and place the chicken rolls in. Cook over medium heat for 6 minutes per side or until lightly golden.

Place the chicken in a baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. Hint: cut into the middle of one breast to make sure it is done.  Remove to a plate, let rest for 5 or so minutes and take out the tooth picks. Top with some of the tomato sauce and garnish with the remaining parsley to serve.

Get creative on me: Serve over spaghetti tossed with a little of the tomato sauce or maybe some soft polenta.