Chicken Breasts Stuffed W/garlic, Ginger, Ham and Tarragon

Title:
Chicken Breasts Stuffed W/garlic, Ginger, Ham and Tarragon

Yield:
4 Servings

Categories:
Herbs,
Main
Dishes,
Pork,
Poultry




Ingredients:





     6    Boneless chicken breasts


          Salt & fresh ground pepper


     3 tb Lemon juice


   1/2 lb Ham; finely chopped


          -- (about one cup)


     2    To 3 garlic clove


          -- peeled & finely chopped


     2 tb Fresh ginger


          -- peeled & finely chopped


     4 tb Fresh tarragon; chopped


          -- (or preserved in vinegar)


     1 lg Lemon; chopped zest of


          Lemon juice or white wine


          Butter


          Vegetable mirepoix


     1 c  Chicken stock


     1 c  Whipping cream


          Salt and pepper; to taste






 To prepare chicken breasts, place between sheets of waxed paper. Gently


 pound with a mallet until flat and tender.  Sprinkle each with salt, pepper


 and lemon juice.  Keep covered in refrigerator.


 


 To make stuffing, combine ham, garlic, ginger, half the tarragon and about


 2/3 of the lemon zest in a bowl, blending well.  Add a dash of lemon juice


 or wine to moisten.


 


 To stuff breasts, place equal amounts of filling on center of each. Bring


 sides up to encase filling, shaping with your hands into a round package


 and tucking in ends to seal.  Greasy the shiny side of six, foot-long


 strips of foil, about 2 inches wide.  Encircle each breast with foil,


 greased side in, pulling tightly so that foil wraps around breast. (This


 retains shape during baking.)  Fold over edge on top to secure foil. Brush


 tops of chicken with butter.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and a little


 tarragon.  Can be refrigerated, covered at this point, if baking is to be


 done several hours later.


 


 Preheat oven to 400 F.  Place the vegetable mirepoix in bottom of a large


 baking dish.  Place chicken breasts on top of vegetables. Pour enough wine


 around bottom of pan just to cover mirepoix. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, then


 turn heat down to 350 degrees. Baste chicken. Cover pan loosely with foil


 and bake another 15 minutes or until chicken breasts are done but still


 moist inside. Remove foil covering from pan; turn broiler on to brown


 chicken tops, about 2 minutes.


 


 Remove pan from oven.  Place chicken on heated platter and keep warm;


 carefully remove foil strips.  Meanwhile, remove and discard mirepoix


 vegetables from roasting pan.  Place pan on top of stove.  Remove any


 surface fat and bring to a boil.  Add chicken stock and cream and reduce


 over high heat, stirring until of desired consistency.  Taste and adjust


 seasonings.


 


 To serve, garnish chicken breasts with remaining lemon zest and tarragon.


 Place a little sauce on a heated plate, then place chicken breast on top.


 


 Good served with rice-stuffed tomatoes.


 


 Serves 4 to 6, depending upon size of chicken breasts.


 


 Note:  Mirepoix means aromatic vegetables (carrot, celery and onion)


 chopped and placed in the bottom of a roasting pan).


 


 Most of this dish can be prepared in advance.


 


 From Nancy Enright's Canadian Herb Cookbook.  By Nancy Enright. Toronto:


 James Lorimer & Company Publishers, 1985.  Pp. 56-57.  ISBN 0-88862-788-2.


 Posted by Cathy Harned.


 


 File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/mmdjaxxx.zip