No More Abused and Dried-Out Chicken Breasts

The chicken breast has to be one of the most abused cuts of meat. All too often it's expected to stand on its own, roasted to a stringy rubber with a sloppy attempt to moisten it with a goupy sauce... shame. Personally I'm an advocate of bone-in, skin-on. Let's face it, when it comes to chicken, that's where the flavour is, but there are exceptions. Pasta is obviously one, but done just the right way, the boneless-skinless chicken breast can be a flavourful, tender treat. Quite simply the trick (and the same goes for beef) is to sear and then bake off. The other trick is to be extra careful not to overcook. This kind of chicken works best with a medium-high temperature - around 350-400. When there's no bone you only have to cook it to absolutely no higher than 170 - then take it out and let it sit for 5 minutes - it will reach 180 left at room temperature and will be super-tender.

The one in the picture above is one of my favourite concoctions.

SPINACH, SWISS, PROSCIUTTO - STUFFED CHICKEN

Two chicken breasts (bl, sk); coarse salt and fresh pepper; palm-full of flour; two slices prosciutto; two small palm-fulls grated Swiss cheese; 1/2 cup fresh or frozen chopped spinach (squeeze moisture out if using frozen); tbsp flour; splash vegetable oil; 1/2 cup chicken broth or white wine; splash of milk or cream; 1/2 tbsp flour.

Preheat - 350. Cut a pocket in the chicken breasts and season the inside. Roll each slice of prosciutto in cheese and stuff in the pockets, and then stuff in the spinach. Season the outside. Roll in flour and sear on medium heat for about 60-90 seconds on each side and then place in the oven (8-9 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk chicken broth, 1/2 tbsp flour, and splash of milk or cream. While letting the chicken rest, reheat the pan and pour in the mixture, stirring - it will quickly turn in to a thick cream sauce. Season and pour over chicken. Serve with salad.

If you're interested in the salad in the pic above, it's a roasted bell pepper, feta, sundried tomato salad with cucumber and a balsamic-lemon vinaigrette.