Mushroom-Stuffed Chicken Breasts in a Balsamic Pan Sauce

Directions

1. Bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add dried mushrooms, cover and let stand about 20 minutes. Squeeze dry; strain liquid (a coffee filter is handy for this) and reserve.
2. In a food processor, mince garlic and rehydrated mushrooms. Add fresh mushrooms and thyme; continue to process until all is minced.
3. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushroom mixture; saute until nearly all moisture has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off heat, stir in cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Mix honey and vinegar in a small bowl.
5. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425 degrees.
6. Set breasts, skin side down, on a large, heavy, lipped cookie sheet. Brush with half of the honey-vinegar; generously salt and pepper. Turn breasts over. Push fingers under skin to make a pocket; stuff with mushroom mixture. Again brush with honey-vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Being careful not to crowd, arrange breasts on cookie sheet so thickest ends point outward. (Can now be covered and refrigerated overnight; return to room temperature before roasting.)
7. Roast until golden brown, adding water if necessary to keep pan drippings from burning, until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees in the thickest portion of the largest piece, 30 to 45 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter.
8. Scrape pan juices into a medium saucepan. Add reserved mushroom-soaking liquid and enough water to equal 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Bring to a simmer. Add cornstarch mixture; continue to simmer until it thickens a bit.
9. Arrange a breast on each of 8 plates; drizzle with sauce, and serve.

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Reviews (28)

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62

Kevin Andrews

Nov. 24, 2009

"Soooo good! I used olives instead of dried mushrooms, rutabagas instead of the fresh mushrooms, 30W motor oil instead of olive oil, Venezuelan beaver cheese instead of goat cheese, and squirrel inste..." See moread of chicken. OK, I'm kidding, but really, why do people post how much they love a recipe, then proceed to tell you how they completely changed it? It cracks me up!"

24

shelley

Mar. 8, 2006

"The reason the previous reviewers chicken burned is probably because she altered the ingredients without altering the cooking. Chicken thighs are a lot smaller and need to be cooked on lower heat. (..." See moreBTW-The recipe DOES state to remove the bone). I made this almost as is except for the addition of re-constituted chopped sun-dried tomatoes that I happened to have on hand to the stuffing mixture. I also did not use dried mushrooms and as a consequence substituted veggie stock for the reserved mushroom stock in the recipe. Perfect recipe. Even my 7 year old loved it."

21

Orgle

Jan. 23, 2006

"I had to change this recipe a bit since I only had fresh mushrooms, sherry vinegar instead of balsamic, chicken thighs instead of breasts, and I wanted more garlic. My hubby said the cheese wasn't too..." See more goaty, and the mushrooms weren't too strong - it was a nice balance. I would also recommend removing the bone - it's so much easier to eat. The biggest problem I had with this recipe is that well before the chicken was done, the skin burnt where it had been stuffed. I will definitely make this, or a slight variation, again, but I think it has to be covered until the last 5-10 minutes to prevent the skin from burning. 4 stars as written 5 stars if the skin didn't burn"