Chicken Stuffed With Cranberries And Walnuts Recipes

CRANBERRY-GORGONZOLA STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. In a small bowl, combine cheese and cranberries. Spoon 1/4 cup cheese mixture down the center of each chicken breast. Roll up and secure with toothpicks., Place walnuts and parsley in a food processor; cover and process until ground. Transfer to a shallow bowl; stir in the bread crumbs, salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, combine eggs and mustard. Place flour in a third shallow bowl. Coat chicken with flour, then dip in egg mixture and coat with walnut mixture., Place seam side down in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170°. Discard toothpicks.

SPINACH-STUFFED CHICKEN POCKETS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute spinach in 2 teaspoons oil until spinach is wilted. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat. Stir in the spreadable cheese, 2/3 cup bread crumbs and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut a pocket in the thickest part of each chicken breast; fill with spinach mixture. Secure with toothpicks., Place egg in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine the pepper and remaining bread crumbs and salt. Dip chicken in egg, then coat with bread crumb mixture., In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in remaining oil for 8-10 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 170°. Discard toothpicks before serving.

CRANBERRY, FONTINA AND WALNUT STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Chicken -- now I like to take advantage of the frozen chicken breasts for this. They tender to be a bit smaller and once thawed are are bit easier to flatten out. I found some of the fresh boneless skinless breasts are so big they are actually too big for me, but use what ever you have. I just flatten mine with my mallet in between saran wrap, but you can use what method you like best.
• Filling -- In a medium sauce pan (use a oven proof pan) add 1 tablespoon of the butter and melt on medium heat. Add the celery, onion and garlic and just sweat on medium until they get nice and soft. Cook 4 minutes, then add in the cranberries and cook another 2 minutes and then the walnuts. Mix all until everything is soft and well combined. Remove and let cool slightly.
• Stuffing the chicken -- Just lay out your chicken breasts flat, salt and pepper and then add a little of the cranberry and vegetable stuffing. Top it with some fresh grated cheese. As I said, I love fontina, but you can use a gruyere or even swiss if you want. Then roll up the chicken. Just roll up and try to tuck in the sides as you go. I like to use a couple of tooth picks to secure it at the end.
• Dredging the Cooking -- Add flour, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper to a small bowl and the egg to a second bowl, now dredge each chicken in the egg and then the flour/breadcrumb mixture to coat well. Now, in the same pan you cooked the vegetables in add the remainder of the butter and olive oil and bring to medium high heat. Cook each chicken breast on all sides just a couple minute until lightly brown.
• Glaze -- Keep the chicken in that pan, it is going in the oven. But first, mix the apple jelly and sage and heat in the microwave in a measuring cup just 20 seconds to thin out. Then brush on the chicken on all sides. Transfer the pan to oven and cook on 375 for about 10-15 minutes, turn the chicken over half way through and brush on more glaze. until golden brown.
• Remove the chicken cover and let set a few minutes until the juices re distribute. Then slice into pretty slices and serve with my apple and onion wild rice. A nice farmers market green beans or roasted beets make this perfect.

SUNNY'S EASY CHEESE AND CRANBERRY STUFFED CHICKEN WITH CRANBERRY GLAZE

Steps:

• Make and freeze the stuffing: Mash together the goat cheese, shredded cheese, cranberries, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl with a fork. (You can use your hands to mix it really well.) Taste a 'lil bit and add a pinch of salt if needed. Divide the cheese mixture into four sections and shape into torpedo-like logs a bit shorter than the length of the chicken breasts. Wrap each in plastic wrap. Freeze until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Prepare the chicken: Use a paring knife to cut a pocket into the short, fat end of a chicken breast, that will run through much of the length of the breast, without cutting all the way through. It may take a few strokes with the knife. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts. Remove the stuffing from the freezer and insert one log in each pocket. If necessary, trim the logs to fit into the pockets. Secure the openings with toothpicks.
• Season and grill the chicken: Preheat the grill for direct and indirect grilling at 350 degrees F and oil the grates.
• Brush olive oil on the chicken and sprinkle on all sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken over the direct heat of the grill and cook until a peek beneath reveals grill marks, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and place over the indirect heat of the grill to finish. Remove when a check with a thermometer shows the chicken to be at around 155 degrees F, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the chicken from the grill and tent with aluminum foil for 5 to 10 minutes. The temperature of the chicken should increase to 165 degrees F.
• Make the glaze: Combine the chicken stock, cranberries, honey, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Remove the toothpicks from the chicken, transfer to plates, and serve each with a spoon of glaze over the top.