Are you in the mood for chicken? I was last week. But not just any chicken. I wanted two different kinds of chicken. (The leftovers from my afternoon in the kitchen were amazing.) I’m now FAMOUS for FABULOUS chicken. Who knew?) Our local co-op sells ready-made breaded chicken breasts, but I wanted to see what I could come up with on my own. After I gathered up all my ingredients, I was on a roll.
STUFFED APPLE-PECAN CHICKEN
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES PLUS 1 HOUR MARINATING
COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES
MAKES: 4 SERVINGS
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 ounces dried apples
4 ozs sharp white cheddar
4 red onion slices (about 1/8 inch thick)
1½ cups buttermilk
3 cups pecans, coarsely ground
1. Carefully butterfly each chicken breast. Using a meat tenderizer, pound each breast to ¼ inch thickness.
2. Divide the apples, cheddar, and onion slices evenly among the four breasts and place in the center. Fold two opposite ends of each breast up. Starting from an unfolded side, roll the entire breast up jellyroll style, securing with toothpicks. Place the chicken in a shallow bowl and pour the buttermilk over the top. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F.
4. Remove chicken from refrigerator and roll each breast in pecans. Place on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES PLUS 1 HOUR MARINATING
COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES
MAKES: 4 SERVINGS
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup brown mustard
2 T honey
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup chopped parsley
1½ cups breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey, and buttermilk. Place chicken in the bowl to marinate. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
2. Preheat oven to 425°F.
3. In a medium bowl, mix parsley, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper together. Remove chicken from refrigerator and coat each piece with breadcrumbs. Place on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or internal temperature reaches 165°F.
