chicken

Pesto Stuffed Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken

~ beckijuice ~ Leave a comment

It’s been awhile! If you’re missing my posts, know that I am still blogging weekly at AliMillerRD.com, sharing Food as Medicine insights and recipes such as this awesome Stone Fruit Crisp and this Watermelon, Cucumber and Feta Salad.  My food brain is still very much alive and I am in the kitchen more than ever these days!

One of my favorite things to do since becoming an omnivore about a year ago is to wrap things in prosciutto. Literally, all things. Prosciutto was one of my first non-vegan indulgences and remains a favorite, a close second to really good smoked brisket.  One of my other favorite things to do is to stuff delicious things with other delicious things, like this Blue Cheese, Fig + Swiss Chard Stuffed Pork Loin I did awhile back and also like dates stuffed with goat cheese wrapped in bacon. Oh, and there’s goat cheese involved here too, did I mention that?

This recipe combines both stuffing and wrapping, and is therefore, perfection. I have been making and freezing tons of pesto this summer and am fairly certain that this dish is my favorite use of pesto. This dish is a fun dinner party trick to make your guests think you slaved in the kitchen all day. Make the pesto as far ahead as 3 days and freeze the extra in ice cube trays for later use.

For the pesto:
2 cups fresh basil
4 cloves garlic
juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil                                                                                            
salt and pepper to taste
For the chicken:
4 chicken breasts
4 oz goat cheese
salt and pepper
8-12 slices prosciutto                            

Directions:

Make the pesto. In a food processor, combine basil through pine nuts. Pulse until finely chopped. With the food processor running, slowly stream in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Overlap 2 slices of prosciutto so that it forms a square. Place a chicken breast on one end of the prosciutto square. Using a sharp knife create a slit in one side of the chicken breast. Spoon a tablespoon of pesto into the slit and add about a tablespoon of goat cheese and pull the slit closed. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Wrap the prosciutto around the chicken breast and place seam side down on a baking sheet. Repeat for the rest of the chicken breasts. Bake until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees and golden brown on the top– about 20 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. To serve the chicken, slice in half and top with more pesto.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

~ beckijuice ~ Leave a comment

IMG_4652

Tortilla Soup makes for a fun weeknight dinner, with its infinite variations of toppings.  The base of the soup too can be made any number of ways, fresh tomatoes or canned, leftover rotisserie chicken or freshly cooked bone-in breasts shredded right into the pot, chipotle peppers or ancho chiles or jalapeños, or all three.  My favorite part of this dish (besides the eating part) is the assembly at the table, which makes for a fun dinner party activity or an interactive kids meal.

Serves 4, with ample leftovers

For the soup:
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I used smoked sea salt)
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1-2 jalapeño peppers, diced, depending on your preference for spice
6 cups chicken bone broth
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
1-14.5 oz can black beans, preferably Eden brand
2 whole chicken breasts, or the equivalent, cooked and shredded
For the condiments:
4 tortillas, cut into strips, drizzled with olive oil and baked at 350F until crispy
1 avocado, sliced
1 small red onion, diced
1 cup raw jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup whole milk greek yogurt
1 cup cilantro, torn
1 lime, cut into wedges

In a stockpot, heat the olive oil.  Add the onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper, carrots, jalapeño, cumin, chili powder and salt and sauté until onion is translucent and vegetables begin to soften.

Pour in the chicken stock, shredded chicken, canned tomatoes and black beans and bring the whole pot to a boil.  Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook 30-45 minutes.  Test for seasoning and be generous with cumin and chili until desired spice is reached.

To serve, ladle into soup bowls and pile high with condiments, including a good squeeze of lime juice.