You've found a recipe for tender, juicy stuffed chicken breast smothered in a creamy mushroom sauce. We will be using a simple technique to stuff the chicken breasts with goat cheese and rosemary. When all the components of this recipe come together, the harmony they create will be music to your mouth!
This Stuffed Chicken Breast recipe is: Gluten Free, Low Carb and Mouthwateringly Delicious.
SIMPLE STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST RECIPE
Over the years, I've tried to make a lot of stuffed chicken breast recipes. Some have ended up better than others. I remember way back when I was fresh out of college... I thought that I would stuff three cheeses and some bacon into a chicken breast. Let's just say that at that point in my cooking career I thought dental floss was an acceptable substitution for cooking twine. Nothing quite like spearmint spiked chicken.
Since those days I've tried so many different ways to stuff chicken. I'm sure you have as well. For a while it was all about toothpicks. My poor chicken looked like the unsuspecting victim of a voodoo practitioner. Not only are toothpicks hard to install, they are also hard to maneuver in the pan. After a while, I became quite skilled in threading toothpicks artfully through chicken but it took forever.
I then moved onto cooking twine, looping glorious half hitches and feeling proud of my new found trussing prowess. They looked good, but the twine always gets stuck in the chicken. Bummer. The story goes on an on until one of the chefs at my catering company was making stuffed chicken breasts for about 100 people. I watched what he was doing intently... and it was so simple. The first step is to butterfly the chicken. Next, lay in the proper amount of ingredients. The last step is to fold the chicken over the ingredients. Wow. Mind blown.
The key, I was told, is the proper amount of ingredients. Too many chefs try to stuff too much stuff in there. With just enough, the chicken will brown nicely without the stuffing falling out. Since then, stuffed chicken has been almost too easy.
CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE
Yes, please! There's nothing quite like a really delicious mushroom cream sauce. Really any cream sauce, in my opinion, is delicious. I think that cream sauces have gotten a bad rap in the last decade. I get it... they aren't the most healthy to make. But we're not eating them every day. And they taste so good. Let's look at why they taste so good.
Most cream sauces are made from the browned bits (fond) or pan drippings. So it's like starting with concentrated flavor nuggets. Then we add in cream and butter. What could be better than concentrated flavor nuggets swimming in a pool of buttery cream? Not much. Add in a touch of acid... whether it is vinegar, mustard or lemon juice and the heaviness starts to fade into the background. What we are left with is golden deliciousness. Nectar of the gods.
One of my most popular recipes is Oven Baked Chicken Legs with Creamy Mustard Sauce. Even if you don't want to make the chicken legs you'll find the sauce is delightful on pork, steak, fish... just about anything savory. So yummy. I hope you check it out. And yes, some of the ingredients are decadent. But that's the point sometimes... right?
SAUTEED CHICKEN BREAST
One of the most important steps in this recipe is sauteing the chicken breasts. Here's the scoop: when we saute the chicken, flavor builds in the dish. Chicken goes from blah to BLAM in minutes. Here are a couple tips for making delicious sauteed chicken breasts:
- Seasoning: keep it simple. Salt and pepper are all that are needed. And, unlike most dried spices, the chances of salt and pepper burning are slim to none. I can't say the same about garlic or onion powder.
- Heat: keep it high. We want to sear the outside of the chicken. High heat is necessary.
- Oil: use low or no flavor oils. High end olive oils have no place in the saute pan. They impart flavors we don't want. If you use butter, make sure it is mixed with oil to prevent burning.
- Don't Overcrowd: if you don't have a huge pan, cook in batches. If you put too much stuff into the pan it will steam the chicken rather than saute. Basically the pan can't stay hot enough. Steamed chicken doesn't have the flavor we are looking for.
For this recipe, we are not going to be cooking the chicken all the way through during the saute step. We just want to build flavor. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven. If you're looking for a recipe where we saute the chicken completely, take a look at my Sauteed Chicken Breast with Zucchini Medley post. Super delicious and easy to make meal.
The best part about sauteing the chicken before making the mushroom cream sauce is the fond (the browned bits at the bottom of the pan from the saute process) will really add flavor to the mushrooms. Delicious.
QUICK COOKING TIP: You may "par cook" the stuffed chicken breasts ahead of time. Here's how to do this:
- Stuff the chicken breasts and season them according to the recipe.
- Saute the chicken and place on a plate rather than a baking sheet.
- Allow the breasts to cool for about 30 minutes on the counter. It's not safe to cover hot food and place in the refrigerator.
- Cover the chicken when it is cool with plastic wrap or foil. Place in the refrigerator.
- When you're ready to use the chicken, take out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before you're ready to start cooking. We want to bring the chicken back up to room temperature.
- Bake the chicken on a baking sheet but be sure to use a thermometer to ensure doneness. It may take a couple extra minutes to cook if the chicken was still cold when going into the oven.
You can easily prepare the creamy mushroom sauce ahead of time as well. When it is time to reheat, make sure that you are using a skillet and NOT the microwave. The mushrooms will not stay soft in the microwave. As the sauce is heating, you may need to add milk, cream, butter or even a touch of water to thin a bit. Mushrooms are Mother Nature's sponges and will absorb a lot of the moisture from the sauce.
Wow. As usual I've gone on for a while. Let's take a look at the recipe now and get it on your table.
Stuffed Chicken Breast with Mushroom Cream Sauce
This recipe has huge flavors and massive appeal... with juicy chicken, creamy sauce and cheesy stuffing it is perfect for a gathering or a weekday meal!
Ingredients
For the Stuffed Chicken Breast
- 4 Chicken Breasts, Boneless, skinless. Butterflied.
- 1 log Goat Cheese, Cut into strips
- 2 tablespoon Rosemary, Chopped fine
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
For the Mushroom Cream Sauce
- 3 cups Mushrooms, Chopped
- 3 tablespoon Butter, Unsalted
- 1 sprig Rosemary
- 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- ¾ cup Heavy Cream
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
Instructions
For the Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butterfly all the chicken breasts carefully with a sharp knife. Lay a slice of goat cheese alone the length of the butterflied breast. Add in ¼ of the chopped rosemary and close the chicken. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Repeat for all 4 breasts.
- Heat a large, heavy bottom skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil shimmers, start to saute all 4 chicken breasts. Cook on each side for about 2 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Remove from the pan and place on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
For the Mushroom Cream Sauce
- Add the mushrooms directly to the pan where the chicken was cooked, still over high heat. Add the salt and rosemary. When the mushrooms have expelled most of their liquid(about 5-7 minutes), add in the butter and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Add in the dijon mustard and cream. Cook until thickened (approximately 2-3 minutes). Taste, adjust the seasoning and set aside.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the pan and spoon the mushroom cream sauce over top. Garnish with rosemary leaves. Eat hot and enjoy!
Notes
When cutting the goat cheese, it is helpful to get your knife blade wet under hot water. It will cut easier. I've also heard that you can use dental floss to cut a goat cheese log, but I've never tried it!
If the mushroom cream sauce thickens too far (or sits for too long, which will cause it to thicken as well) you can add more butter, cream or milk over medium to low heat. Please be sparing with the amount added! Use water only if all other resources are exhausted...
If the sauce doesn't have enough acid (tastes a little flat), add in just a touch more mustard. Remember that a little goes a long way!!
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Amount Per Serving Calories 607
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST WITH MUSHROOM CREAM SAUCE:
Recently I went completely over-the-top and served this delightful dish with my Baked Brussels Sprouts Gratin recipe. It was basically a heart attack on the plate, but for reasons other than what you are thinking. Taking a bite of the stuffed chicken breast with notes of rosemary and the funky hit of goat cheese was heart-stoppingly good with the creamy mushroom sauce. Then a bite of the bacon and brussels with yummy gruyere cheese... I almost fell out of my chair.
In all seriousness, it was definitely way too much flavor on a plate. I would suggest a nice side salad with a mustard vinaigrette to serve with the stuffed chicken. The vinaigrette will cut through the cream sauce, making each new bite as delicious as the first. Whatever you decide to serve alongside this yummy stuffed chicken, I hope you love it as much as we do. Happy eating.
I love this combo! Mushroom sauce is nostalgic for me, and we eat a TON of chicken. You're so right about not overcrowding the pan - I'm forever making that mistake.
Hi Laura:
I used to overcrowd the pan all the time and this ruined my recipes right at the very end. But I know better now. We have tons of chicken in our house too - wings, thighs, legs, breast...
Why is mushroom sauce nostalgic for you?
Have an excellent day in the kitchen!
Scott
You had me laughing out loud! I could see how dental floss would seem like a brilliant idea. Thank you so much for sharing the tip about stuffing the chicken. I can never get toothpicks to stay in place and I hate how twine can pull away perfectly crispy chicken skin. This sounds and looks amazing!
Hi Meg:
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Did you try cutting the cheese with dental floss? I keep saying I will try, but I always end up using the knife...
Have a fantastic day in the kitchen!
Scott
All I can say is mushroom gravy. You could put this on cardboard and it would taste great.
Hey Brad:
Haha, you made me laugh out loud. But you're so right - mushroom gravy is an absolute delight.
Take care,
Scott
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