Chicken Stuffed with Pepperoni and Fontina

[labradors]

Ax mentioned in the other thread...


Chicken Stuffed with Pepperoni and Fontina
Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients for the chicken:

• 5 Tbs unsalted butter (divided)
  
• 1 cup chopped broccoli florets
  
• 1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
  
• 2 tsp minced shallots
  
• 1 2/3 cup grated Fontina cheese
  
• 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
  
• 2 eggs, beaten to blend
  
• 1 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 1 1/2 cup whipping cream or half and half
  
• 1 1/2 Tsp chopped shallots
  
• 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
  
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions for the chicken

1. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
   
2. Add broccoli and sauté until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
   
3. Add pepperoni and shallots and sauté 1 minute.
   
4. Transfer mixture to bowl.
   
5. Mix in Fontina.
   
6. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool.
   
7. Using rolling pin or mallet, pound chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper to thickness of 1/4 inch.
   
8. Place 1/2 cup filling in center of each chicken breast.
   
9. Fold short ends over filling.
   
10. Fold long sides over, covering filling completely.
    
11. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
    
12. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    
13. Dip each chicken roll in beaten eggs and then roll in breadcrumbs.
    
14. Melt remaining 3 Tbsp butter in heavy large skillet over high heat.
    
15. Add chicken, seam side down, and cook until golden, turning once - about 3 minutes.
    
16. Arrange chicken seam side down on baking sheet.
    
17. Bake until cooked through. about 10 minutes.

Instructions for sauce:

1. Bring cream and shallots to simmer in heavy, medium saucepan.
   
2. Add Gorgonzola and stir until melted.
   
3. Add Parmesan and cook until thickened to sauce consistency, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes.
   
4. Season with salt and pepper.

Presentation:

• Spoon sauce onto plates; cut chicken into slices and fan atop sauce.

[Harborwitch]

That sounds so good. I have everything but the chicken, fontina, and gorgonzola. It will have to be for after we get plowed out. Thanks for sharing that.

[Guest]

I'm making my grocery list right now - so this is timely - Thanks, Labs. This looks like a "company" dish.

[Harborwitch]

I thought of that too - perhaps we'll have to invite Cousin Roy to dinner soon. As soon as we can get to town to shop that is. $%#@ing tractor won't start.

[luvnit]

Sounds wonderful!

[Gourmet_Mom]

HOLY COW! That "better eating" promise is gonna have to wait another week. There are just too many good things I NEED to try! This is at the top of the list. All I need is the chicken, pepperoni, and broccoli...on the list!

Thanks Labs!

[labradors]

Glad is has spawned so much interest. It certainly sounded good to me, but I still need to make Jean's Chicken Tostadas and my own birthday-dinner selection before I'll get to this one.

[cjs]

This does sound good.

[Harborwitch]

I think I have everything for this now - and we're putting it on the menu for this week, have to call Cousin Roy and invite him for dinner.

Just a quick trick to share with you Rob, I have a really hard time pounding meat - drives the dogs nuts, and in a mobile things rattle a lot. But, I discovered that the tortilla press is absolutely wonderful for flattening cutlets.

[labradors]

When I flatten cutlets, I cut apart the two halves of a plastic bag (not too thin a bag), put one sheet onto the surface, put the cutlet onto that sheet, then cover the cutlet with the other sheet. Once the cutlet has been pounded to the right thickness, I peel off the top sheet, place the filling into the centre of the cutlet, then pick up the end of the bottom sheet of plastic to help get the rolling started. It's a lot easier than trying to lift the cutlet off of the work surface.

Haven't tried the tortilla press for cutlets but, as I've mentioned before, all the tortilla presses that I have bought have broken at the same spot on the handle when just making tortillas, so I now make my tortillas by hand, as they do here.