This recipe is courtesy of my friend Leigh who ripped it from Rupena’s Fine Foods (a Milwaukee, Wis. famous grocery store) and made it better. (Leigh, if you’re reading this, happy belated birthday!)
I added a sprinkling of parmesan cheese on top of the chicken before baking.
ingredients.
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast (per person)
- 1 8 oz package of cream cheese, room temperature (Note: you can sub Boursin cheese for the cream cheese and herbs)
- ½ c. of fresh herbs (I used thyme and sage.)
- 1 bunch of asparagus
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
ingredients.
- Pound chicken to tenderize it. Take a small knife and butterfly the chicken. (Slice it down the side from top to bottom leaving one side in tact.)
- Take the cream cheese and mix it with the chopped herbs, minced garlic, and salt and pepper. Mix everything well. Chop ends off of the asparagus, rinse and pat dry.
- Take the cream cheese mixture and spread it onto one half of the butterflied chicken breast. The mixture should easily be enough for 4 medium chicken breasts. Place 5 or 6 stalks of asparagus on the mixture and fold the chicken up. Salt and pepper the chicken and drizzle in olive oil. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired.
- Set your oven to 425 degrees. Place the chicken in a pan and roast until done. Approximately 25 minutes. (Make sure you check the temperature of the chicken.)
My dad loved this dish. (Mine turned out a bit dry because I left it in the oven too long – there’s nothing worse than dry chicken! You really do want to monitor the cooking time – especially if the chicken breasts are of varying size.) The next time I make this meal, I’ll probably try it with different herbs (like Basil and Rosemary).
I like this dish because it’s relatively simple to make, you get to take your aggression out on the chicken when you’re tenderizing it, and it generally looks impressive on a plate.
Recipe rating:
Food Snob 