Welcome to a weekly feature on my blog – Ben’s Zone. Written by husband… Ben. A foodie, coffee obsessed, ex-smoking, ex-drinking and Ridgeback loving Dad. Who is also seriously into his fitness. You can find him on the blog (mostly) on Sundays. Enjoy!
Easy Weekday Wrapped Chicken Recipe
Today I’m sharing a simple midweek staple that’s enjoyable without being too bad for you. I eat a lot of chicken in the week as it is a great source of lean protein but the downside is, it tastes boring. This recipe takes a few simple bits to make the humble chicken breast a little bit more entertaining. The combination of salty prosciutto Crudo and creamy garlic cheese just add a little more interest to the dish.
I like to serve this with gnocchi that I cook as normal and then bake in the oven with just a little bit of butter. The baking crisps up the edges of the gnocchi and adds a little crunch. In terms of vegetables, all you need is rocket, dressed with the juice of half a lemon, salt, and a little olive oil. In the ingredients list here I specify cherry tomatoes but you can use anything you have kicking around the fridge. Just chop larger tomatoes. In a pinch, you can even use canned chopped tomatoes.
Ingredients (Serves 2)
- 2 x skinless and boneless chicken breasts
- 1 pack cherry / small plum tomatoes.
- 1 pack (6 strips) prosciutto Crudo or other cured ham (serrano is fine)
- 1 tub garlic soft cheese, low fat or not, it makes no real difference
Method
1. Put tomatoes into a baking tray and spray with low-fat spray.
2. Pre-heat oven to 190C.
3. When oven at temp put the tomatoes in and cook for 10-15 mins until starting to colour.
4. While the tomatoes are cooking take a chopping board and lay out the strips of ham. It’s easier to roll the ham over the chicken if you offset the middle piece to the side a bit. Lay the strips with short side vertical in 2 groups of 3.
5. Put the chicken on the ham and slice inwards horizontally to open a pocket. Try and slice in about halfway up and avoid the false fillet so that the pocket that you cut is enclosed at the bottom. If you do get a small hole, it’s not the end of the world.
6. Take a small amount of the garlic soft cheese, and lightly pack the pockets of the chicken breast before folding the flap back over.
7. Season chicken with salt and pepper before rolling up on prosciutto.
8. When the tomatoes are ready, take them out of the oven and put the chicken breasts in the roasting tray along with a good splash of cheap balsamic vinegar.
9. Bake chicken for 20 – 25 mins before checking for doneness, a meat thermometer is best here as you can get the chicken properly cooked without it drying out.
10. Turn the oven off and remove the chicken to a plate.
11. Take the baking tray and put it on the hob, add the rest of your garlic soft cheese and press down the tomatoes to release moisture. You can also add any herbs you might fancy (basil works well).
12. Stir until the cheese and tomato juices have combined to make a creamy sauce.
13. Place sauce on the plate and put a chicken breast on top, service with your choice of carbs (or not) and veg (or not).
