Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breast

I am still learning how to grocery shop. Shopping for one is the hardest thing ever; something I was planning on cooking tomorrow always goes bad yesterday. Most of the time when I look into the depths of my fridge to find a magical combination of ingredients that will allow me to make something edible other than packaged risotto (they do have good ones, by the way...I've just eaten way to much of it), I cave and end up not cooking at all.


But sometimes, the food gods look down upon you and you just happen to have all the ingredients just staring at you in the face, shouting "combine me into something delicious, please!!" Well, I just happened to have a chicken breast, some pesto, and some prosciutto lying around.

This recipe is so easy. There are only three ingredients involved, assuming you don't make your own pesto (I'm asking for a food processor for Christmas). And I swear it tasted better than it looks in this photograph...I have yet to master food photography..

That's the breast cut in half--you want the prosciutto to be slightly crispy on the outside, the chicken to be moist, and the pesto to ooze out of the center.

Take your boneless skinless chicken breast, and slice it sideways through the center, but not all the way through, so it's like an open book. Spoon some pesto into the crevice, a good amount but not too much that it all squeezes out when you close the chicken. Season the breast with salt and pepper and whatever other fresh herbs you like. Lay several pieces of prosciutto down vertically next to one another, so their sides are slightly overlapping. Lay the breast down on top of the prosciutto and wrap the prosciutto around the breast. The ends of the prosciutto should meet and seal around the chicken.

Heat some oil in a pan over medium head and place the breast in the pan, browning on each side, 3-4 min. Make sure to place the side with the prosciutto ends down first, so that it seals quickly. Ideally use a pan that is safe in the oven also--I dont have this so I just transferred the chicken to a baking pan lined with aluminum foil, making sure to keep some oil on the breast. Bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 15-20 min or until chicken is cooked through. If you do have a temperature thermometer, the chicken should be 160 deg F in the middle.

Let set for a minute or two before cutting so the juices don't run out. This can be prepared many different ways, I just made it this way because it's what I had handy. A good alternative would be a Florentine version with a spinach and ricotta stuffing. Or you don't have to stuff the chicken at all. If I did it over again, I would either use less prosciutto or have it sliced thinner. For some reason the guy at the grocery store had no idea what I meant when I asked for prosciutto and then proceeded to slice it pretty thick. Several very thin slices will cook nicer than a few thicker ones.

I have a lot of posts to catch up on, including Billy's bakery in Chelsea and some yummy ramen in the Lower East Side. Soon!

Nosher