I created this recipe for chicken stuffed with ham and cheddar during during the spring 2020 Snowpocalyse in Snohomish, WA.
Cut each chicken breast in half the short way. Use a knife to make a pocket from each piece. You could just butterfly them and fold them back over the filling but it's much harder to keep the stuffing in when you cook them.
Roll 1 slice cheese & 1 tbs onion marmelade up in a slice of ham to create a little packet. The idea is to fully enclose the cheese in the ham so it can't leak out of the chicken. Stuff the packet into the chicken pockets and pin closed with a turkey trusser, toothpicks or cooking string.
Salt and pepper both sides of chicken pockets. Dredge in corn starch and tap off excess.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a cast iron or other heavy oven proof pan over medium high heat. Fry chicken pockets 1-2 minutes until brown on one side. Do not disturb or move around in the pan or you won't get a good crust. Flip over to brown the other side. While browning, divide the mustard evenly between the pockets and spread over the top. Place 1 tsp butter on each pocket. Transfer entire pan to oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
You can create the chicken packets up to two days ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Season, dredge in corn starch and cook when you're ready to eat them!
Onion marmelade is a sweet onion reduction almost like a jam with balsamic vinegar and garlic. You can find a recipe online or mix cooked onions with a something like a peach or apricot jam to get the same affect.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut each chicken breast in half the short way. Use a knife to make a pocket from each piece. You could just butterfly them and fold them back over the filling but it's much harder to keep the stuffing in when you cook them.
Roll 1 slice cheese & 1 tbs onion marmelade up in a slice of ham to create a little packet. The idea is to fully enclose the cheese in the ham so it can't leak out of the chicken. Stuff the packet into the chicken pockets and pin closed with a turkey trusser, toothpicks or cooking string.
Salt and pepper both sides of chicken pockets. Dredge in corn starch and tap off excess.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a cast iron or other heavy oven proof pan over medium high heat. Fry chicken pockets 1-2 minutes until brown on one side. Do not disturb or move around in the pan or you won't get a good crust. Flip over to brown the other side. While browning, divide the mustard evenly between the pockets and spread over the top. Place 1 tsp butter on each pocket. Transfer entire pan to oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
You can create the chicken packets up to two days ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Season, dredge in corn starch and cook when you're ready to eat them!
Onion marmelade is a sweet onion reduction almost like a jam with balsamic vinegar and garlic. You can find a recipe online or mix cooked onions with a something like a peach or apricot jam to get the same affect.