Cranberry, Pistachio and Herb Stuffed Chicken Breast Wrapped in Prosciutto
If you can’t go without the stuffing, but don’t want the hassle of cooking a whole bird, try this flavour packed Stuffed Chicken Breast. Filled with cranberry, pistachio and herb stuffing and wrapped in prosciutto, this delicious feast is packed with flavour and texture.
And of course, it’s super easy to prep in advance and doesn’t need to cook for hours. Interestingly, out of the 5 Christmas day recipes I’ll be making, including two desserts, this is the only one that requires any cooking at all. And all you need to do is pop it in the oven.
Feel free to use chicken or turkey. And in fact, beef or lamb could work equally well with these flavours. And remember to double the recipe if serving more than four.
I’ve kept is simple. A store bought herb and grain stuffing mix. Which simply requires adding some water, melted butter and an egg. Then popped some dried cranberries, roasted pistachios and oodles of fresh parsley in the food processor. Flatten the chicken breasts a bit with a meat mallet or rolling pin (great for any leftover stress), season, smother in sundried tomato pesto or harrissa paste (optional of course), stuff and wrap.
This is great to prep the day before and pop in the fridge overnight. And in fact, you could probably prep it days in advance and keep it in the freezer until needed.
Feel free to serve it as is, with a glaze of honey or your favourite gravy.
I’m sure there won’t be any leftovers, but in case there are, shred and add to any of the leftover Festive Couscous Salad for a delicious boxing day lunch.
Stuffed Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 100 grams Prosciutto or Parma ham (1 pack)
- 4 Skinned and boned chicken breasts
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 3 Tbsp Harissa paste / sundried tomato pesto / red pepper pesto Optional
- 50 grams Herb stuffing mix (½ tub) + 1½ Tbsp melted butter, 125 ml boiling water, ½ egg (package requirements)
- 50 grams Roasted Pistachios (shelled)
- 50 grams Dried Cranberries
- 10 grams Fresh Parsley
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients
- Make the herb stuffing mix as per package instructions (I only needed half a 100g tub), then add the pistachios, dried cranberries and fresh parsley to a food processor and pulse until a chunky crumb size. Set aside
- Place the chicken or turkey breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap or similar and flatten with a meat mallet or rolling pin, until all pieces are an even thickness (use the thinnest part of the breast as your guide)
- Spread a piece of plastic wrap on a board, then lay a few pieces of kitchen twine/string a few centimeters apart (this will assist in rolling the chicken one keeping it together once rolled). Evenly layer the prosciutto
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, then place on the prosciutto, avoiding gaps
- If using harissa paste or pesto, spread it evenly over the chicken. If not, leave simply seasoned with the salt and pepper or add any herbs or spices you wish
- Add a thin even layer of stuffing
- Follow with a thin even layer of the cranberry, pistachio and herb mixture
- Note: Do not over stuff and leave an edge to prevent (most of) the stuffing from oozing out when rolling
- Use the plastic wrap to help roll the chicken as tightly as possible without squeezing out all of the stuffing. Then tie with the string and wrap tightly with the plastic wrap
- Place in the fridge until ready to cook. This can be prepped the night before and refrigerated. If prepping a few days in advance, feel free to freeze, then defrost overnight before cooking
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°C
- Drizzle a little olive oil in an oven dish, then unwrap the chicken and place seem side down
- Note: As a little added security measure to keep my chicken in place, I added a piece of rolled foil on each side. This is not necessary, especially if you are cooking any veg with the chicken
- Place a piece of foil over the roll (I preferred the tent method instead of covering the dish as it got all the heat to cook but not brown too quickly. This is optional). Cook covered for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for an additional 10 – 15 minutes
- When done, cover the dish with foil and let the meat rest for around 10 minutes before slicing/serving
- Note: The chicken will continue cooking while resting, so do not over cook or it will be dry. Remember that this is thin skinless boneless chicken breast which will dry out very quickly even though it is wrapped. It only needs between around 25 minutes – max 30 minutes to be fully cooked through
- If not using a gravy, drizzle with a little glaze, honey or maple syrup when removed from the oven and before covering to rest
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