There's a gazillion ways to fix chicken, an economical meal whether using for an every day meal or planning a fancy presentation for guests.
Watching for sales, I buy thighs and legs in bulk and repackage for the freezer. Most often I use them for baking or frying, and especially using thighs for making soup.
With skin on or skinless flash-frozen breasts go on sale, I snag a bag or two and often make them the star of my meal by making a slit and stuffing them, or pounding, layering the filling, and rolling them up. Sometimes the breasts are so large, one will serve the two of us.
I've stuffed them a variety of ways: cheese, bread stuffing, or spinach mixtures. Most recently I stuffed with a caramelized onion mixture I had left over from making burgers with caramelized onions and added blue cheese.
Onion and Blue Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
4 chicken breasts, plump enough to make a pocket
salt and pepper
1 cup of Caramelized Onions (recipe below)
4 Tabs. of Blue Cheese
Mix Blue Cheese with cooled caramelized onions.
Make a slit in wide side of chicken breast, deep and wide enough to stuff about 1/4 cup of onion, blue cheese mixture.
Press to close, may need toothpicks to close slit. Or tie. I use silicon ties.
Salt and pepper both sides, and saute on medium-high heat to brown each side, about 3 or 4 minutes each. Finish cooking by placing pan in 350 oven for about 15 minutes, depending on thickness. Internal temperature should read 180. Gravy can be made from drippings, if making potatoes as a side, or drizzle gravy over chicken when serving.
Balsamic Caramelized Onions
1 medium onion cut in half, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 Tabs. of butter
2 Tabs. olive oil
1/2 tsp.salt
1 tsp. sugar1/3 cup chopped tomatoes (fresh, sun-dried or salsa)
1/3 cup chopped bacon, (2 or 3 strips)
4 Tabs. balsamic vinegar
Saute all ingredients slowly until onions are soft and golden brown, (about 30 minutes) adding vinegar at the end and cooking a few more minutes.
Estimated cost: $2.80; .70 cents a serving or less.
Looks FABULOUS! And oh so brilliant to use the leftover caramelized onions w/ a pinch of blue cheese - sounds yummers!
ReplyDeleteBut alas, I've yet to find a chicken part in markets here in Vietnam that I can even recognize. Well o.k. short of chicken FEET! ;)
Nonetheless, perhaps once I'm resettled in Dalat, I can track down a chicken breast (they DO have onions and blue cheese here - the latter thanks to the French).