Stuff Your Belly With This Basil & Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breast Recipe
Stuff Your Belly With This Basil & Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breast Recipe
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 favoriteblueberry jalapeno jam recipe.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Soak toothpicks in water while making ricotta filling and prepping chicken.In a large mixing bowl, combine the basil, ricotta, parmesan, onion, lemon juice, egg, oregano, lemon pepper and kosher salt. Reserve.Lay the chicken on a cutting board and, using the tip of your chef's knife, carefully slice a 3-to-4-inch pocket into the thickest part of the breast. Make sure to only make a pocket, and not to slice the chicken all the way through.Divide the ricotta mixture between the breasts and secure with toothpicks.Heat the oil in a large oven-proof skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat.When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the chicken. Cook the chicken on one side for 5-7 minutes, or until chicken is browned and releases easily from the pan. Flip, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.Place the skillet in the oven, and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees with a meat thermometer.Transfer the chicken to a platter and loosely tent with foil for 5 minutes to rest.Remove toothpicks and dig in!
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.