Pancetta Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts Recipes

PANCETTA AND MUSHROOM-STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook pancetta over medium heat until partially cooked but not crisp; drain on paper towels., In same skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shallot; cook and stir until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. Stir in mushrooms; cook until tender, 1-2 minutes. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper., Pound chicken breasts with a meat mallet to 1/4-in. thickness. Spread each with 2 tablespoons pesto; layer with 1 slice pancetta and a fourth of the mushroom mixture. Fold chicken in half, enclosing filling; secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper., Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165°, 30-35 minutes. Discard toothpicks before serving.

ROASTED CHICKEN BREAST WITH PANCETTA, LEEKS AND THYME

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Put 1 chicken breast, skin removed, in a bowl. Trim and wash a large leek, remove the outer leaves, then slice it into 0.5cm/¼ inch pieces. Add these to the bowl with the leaves of a few sprigs of fresh thyme, a good lug of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and a small swig of white wine and toss together. Place your leek and flavourings from the bowl into the tray, then wrap the chicken breast in 4 slices of pancetta. This will not only flavour the chicken but also protect it while it cooks. Try and bend the sides of the tray in towards the chicken so the leeks don't burn during cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, place a couple of whole thyme sprigs on top and cook in the middle of the oven for 25 to 35 minutes.

BACON-WRAPPED CHICKEN STUFFED WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly oil a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook and stir until it begins to brown, about 30 seconds. Quickly stir in spinach, and continue cooking until the spinach has wilted. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, and set aside to cool.
• Slice through the chicken breast horizontally to within 1/2 inch of one long edge, then open the meat like a book. Place each opened chicken breast in between two pieces of plastic wrap, and pound with a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
• Stir the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and onion powder into the cooked spinach until blended. Evenly divide this mixture among the chicken breasts, then roll each into an oblong shape, like a burrito, tucking in the ends. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Wrap each breast with 2 strips of bacon, and secure with toothpicks. Place into the prepared pan.
• Bake in preheated oven until the bacon is brown and crispy, and the chicken is no longer pink, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before removing toothpicks and serving.

BACON WRAPPED BOURSIN STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS - A DEUX!

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
• Lightly oil an oven proof dish with the teaspoon of olive oil - using a pastry brush is best.
• Place one chicken breast between a large piece of cling film and gently beat it with a cook's mallet - beating until large and fairly thin - try NOT make any holes in the chicken! Repeat with the second chicken breast.
• Place the chicken breasts on a work board and spread half the Boursin cheese on each chicken piece - make sure it is spread evenly right up to the edges.
• Roll the chicken breasts up - tucking the last small "fillet" flap up and into the stuffed roll.
• Wrap the bacon pieces or pancetta ham around the stuffed chicken, making sure they do not overlap too much and the edges are sealed underneath.
• Gently lift them into the oiled oven dish.
• Season well with freshly ground black pepper. (Season with salt to taste - the bacon will make it quite salty, so watch out when seasoning with salt.).
• If using the lemon juice, pour over the top of the chicken breasts now.
• Scatter or arrange the cherry tomatoes around the chicken pieces. (I like to keep them on the vine.).
• Place in the middle of a pre-heated oven and roast for between 45 - 55 minutes; the cooking time depends on the size of the chicken breasts and your oven.
• Remove from the oven and place the chicken breasts on a plate - you can serve them whole or sliced. Garnish with watercress, as well as the roasted cherry tomatoes.
• Serve with a selection of seasonal fresh vegetables and a jacket potato, making sure you spoon the excess Boursin sauce over the top of the chicken pieces and the roasted cherry tomatoes!
• Tip:You can make an optional creamy sauce. On taking the chicken out of the oven, add the creme fraiche and white wine to the Boursin cooking juices in the oven dish, whisk together and then gently heat, whisking all the time, over medium heat on top of the stove, or decant the creme fraiche, wine and juices to a small saucepan and heat the sauce in the pan. (Make sure to keep the chicken warm whilst you do this.).
• TO FREEZE:.
• As soon as you have stuffed and wrapped the bacon around the beaten chicken breasts, wrap individually in cling film and put into a freezer container or a freezer bag. Take them out as required and allow to defrost for 4-5 hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
• Cook as above.
• Can be frozen for up to 3 months with no adverse effects on the Boursin cheese.

PANCETTA WRAPPED STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
• Mix goat cheese, red pepper, pecans, and garlic together in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Lay each cutlet onto two slices of pancetta.
• Sandwich each chicken cutlet between two sheets of plastic wrap; pound chicken with a kitchen mallet to about 1/4 inch thick. Spoon goat cheese mixture onto the chicken cutlets. Roll chicken and pancetta around the goat cheese mixture and place onto prepared baking sheet with the seam side down. Season each roll with salt and pepper.
• Cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 20 to 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the rolls should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

ROLLED TURKEY BREAST WITH HERBY LEMON & PINE NUT STUFFING

Steps:

• First prepare the stuffing. Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan, then soften the onion without colouring for 10 mins. Tip into a bowl. Add the pancetta or bacon to the pan, fry for 5 mins until golden, then add the pine nuts, garlic, sage and lemon zest. Fry for 1 min more until fragrant and the pine nuts are starting to brown. Stir in the chopped parsley. Tip into the bowl with the onions, then bind with the crumbs, egg and seasoning.
• Butter and season a sheet of turkey foil or use 2 sheets of foil crimped together to make a sheet about 50 x 60cm. Lay five long pieces of string over the foil like rungs of a ladder, ready to tie the breast together. Arrange the pancetta or bacon in a lattice over the middle of the foil, on top of the string.
• Open out the butterflied breast, skin-side down, and slash each side several times. Cover with cling film and bash with a rolling pin until the meat is about 5cm thick all over. Trim the sides so that you have a roughly rectangular shape (but be careful not to cut the skin). Lift onto the pancetta, then fill any gaps with the trimmings. Season, then press the stuffing along the middle of the joint. Pull up the sides at one end, tucking in the short end, then tie the string tightly so that the stuffing is encased. Repeat with all the strings. Wrap up tightly in the foil, then turn the roll over so that the pancetta is on the top. Can be left in the fridge for up to 2 days.
• Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Sit the joint in a roasting tin and roast for 40 mins per kg or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out very hot and the juices run clear. Unwrap for the last 10 mins of cooking.
• Lift the joint onto a board and leave to rest, covered, for at least 10 mins. For the gravy, heat the tin on the hob, then splash in the wine and any juices. Reduce by half, then add the stock and repeat. Pour in the cream and bubble to a slightly reduced sauce. Season to taste, then stir in the parsley.

PANCETTA CHICKEN WRAPS

Steps:

• Arrange a quarter of the pancetta slices in a row on a board, overlapping them slightly along their long sides. Put a chicken breast at one end so that it lies across the slices of pancetta, top with 3 sage leaves and sprinkle with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Wrap the chicken in the pancetta so that it is completely enclosed. Repeat to make 4 parcels altogether.
• Spoon the oil into a large heavy pan (a cast-iron sauté pan is ideal, or you could use a roasting tin). Put the pan on the barbecue and heat for 1-2 mins until hot, then lay the chicken parcels in the pan and cook for 7-8 mins on each side. The pancetta will become golden and crispy.
• Remove the parcels, lay the tomatoes in the pan and shake to coat in the cooking juices, then heat through for a couple of minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, take the pan off the heat and leave the chicken to rest in it for about 10 mins, so it will cut more easily.