Recipe and photos by Launie Kettler

When it comes to the flavors of summer, basil jumps to the front of the line and raises its hand yelling, “Pick me! Pick Me!”  Because, let’s face it, the slightly anise flavor of fresh basil pairs with all of our summer things…

Tomatoes.

Strawberries.

Watermelon.

Mint.

Oh, and let’s not forget grilled chicken! Or, in this case, stuffed chicken. And in this very particular case of utter deliciousness, ricotta and basil stuffed chicken bursting with parmesan and parsley, too!

We cheat and use toothpicks to keep all of the delicious filling inside the chicken, but if you want the filling to spill out au natural and get all toasty in the bottom of the pan, well, we can’t fault you for that!

And if you’d like a delicious sweet and spicy sauce to top off these basil and ricotta stuffed chicken breasts, then we’d highly recommend a healthy spoonful of our favorite blueberry jalapeno jam recipe.

Because we’re thoughtful like that.

Oh, and if you need some side ideas, then try pairing your Italian-inspired stuffed chicken with this recipe for creamy saffron risotto or this recipe for porcini mushroom risotto! And make it a 3-course meal with some antipasto crostinis, pumpkin ricotta tart or steamed artichokes and dip as an appetizer and some Italian-style candied fruit for dessert!

Now round up your ingredients and get that F.N. Sharp Chef’s Knife and cutting board ready for some slicing, dicing and mincing!

Get All of the F.N. Sharp Essentials: The 6-Knife Set & Magnetic Knife Block

Ricotta and Basil Stuffed Chicken Breast Recipe

Servings: 4
Special Tools: 12 large toothpicks

Ingredients

Directions

About the Author

Launie Kettler is a food writer and photographer who cooks big food in a small kitchen in northern Vermont. Her husband and cats are tolerant of the fact that she plays the same Wilco and Son Volt albums over and over while pontificating about the beauty of cumin. 

Launie is also the co-author of The Everything Mediterranean Slow Cooker Cookbook and her recipes have been featured in Where Women Cook, Fresh Magazine, and on Salon.

You can follow Launie's adventures on Instagram @teenytinykitchenvt and on her blog at TeenyTinyKitchen.com.