Today’s recipe is for Bruschetta Stuffed Chicken. In the past I’ve been weary of cooking chicken breasts, often times they take forever in the oven and I’m worried about drying out the chicken. But recently I was inspired by this chicken recipe, and I thought, why not just blast them on high heat? So, I gave it a try and presto, I got moist chicken breasts that took about a half hour in the oven.
That being said I nee you to bear in mind, when you make this in your own kitchen that the cooking times and the amount of filling you will need is going to vary depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Mine happenend to be pretty big, so if you have some that are on the smaller side they will most definately take less time to bake.
One more thing, this recipe is great for making ahead of time. Stuffing the chicken and letting it set, enhances the flavor the longer the filling has a chance to sit and let the flavors meld together. I even find that the leftovers taste even better than when I cook them for the first time.
Bruschetta Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients for Stuffing:
- 1 tomato, medium sided, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1/4 c grated cheese (Parmesean, Romano, or Asiago, or a blend of the 3)
- 1 bunch of fresh basil
Ingredients for crumb coating
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 c grated cheese
- 1/3 c breadcrumbs, unseasoned
- 3 chicken breasts
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Assemble all of your ingredients for the filling into a small mixing bowl and set aside.
Spray a baking sheet or pan with cooking spray and set aside. Butterfly the chicken breasts. I rarely do a nice job on this, so don’t worry if you butcher it a bit, they will still be tasty. Just make sure there is some semblence of a pocket to put the filling in.
Combine the ingredients for the crumb coating (except chicken) on a plate. Take the butterflied chicken breasts and coat the outside in the breadcrumb mixture.
Place the chicken breasts on the prepared cooking pan and spoon 1/3 of the tomato basil mixture into the pocket of the chicken. Repeat this process with all the chicken breasts.
If I have any left over breadcrumb mixture, I sprinkle it on top of the chicken and pat some more into the sides of the breasts.
Roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes (depending on the side of your chicken breasts). Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes before eating, this is important, because this helps the chicken breasts retain their moisture.
Buon Appetito!
Can’t get enough of homemade Italian food? Check out my articles on homemade pasta sauce and homemade meatballs.
Bruschetta Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients:
For the stuffing:
- 1 tomato, medium sized, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1/4 c grated cheese (Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago, or a blend of the 3)
- 1 bunch of fresh basil
For the crumb coating:
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 c grated cheese
- 1/3 c bread crumbs, unseasoned
- 3 chicken breasts
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.Assemble all of your ingredients for the filling into a small mixing bowl and set aside.
Spray a baking sheet or pan with cooking spray and set aside. Butterfly the chicken breasts. I rarely do a nice job on this, so don’t worry if you butcher it a bit, they will still be tasty. Just make sure there is some semblance of a pocket to put the filling in.
Combine the ingredients for the crumb coating (except chicken) on a plate. Take the butterflied chicken breasts and coat the outside in the breadcrumb mixture.
Place the chicken breasts on the prepared cooking pan and spoon 1/3 of the tomato basil mixture into the pocket of the chicken. Repeat this process with all the chicken breasts.
If I have any left over breadcrumb mixture, I sprinkle it on top of the chicken and pat some more into the sides of the breasts.
Roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes (depending on the side of your chicken breasts). Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes before eating, this is important, because this helps the chicken breasts retain their moisture.