Asparagus and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breast with Hollandaise Sauce

Yes, this does look very similar to a previous post, it was just so good I can't help but share!

This is basically the same as the Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breast but with a different filling and sauce. Three bites in, I turned to the Mr. and said "I think this is the best meal I have ever made..." and I meant it!

Ingredients for 2 servings:
2 chicken breasts
Seasonings- Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
Asparagus- Amount depends on size of shoots
Shredded mozzarella cheese (or your favorite kind)
Seasoned bread crumbs
Hollandaise sauce- I just use the stove-top powder packet that is mixed with milk and butter. Cheating, but still tasty!
Choice of side- Roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, stuffing (I used stuffing)

Basically, start off by doing exactly like the Caprese Chicken, by pounding two chicken breasts with the flat side of a meat mallet until about doubled in size. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic power, and onion powder. Place asparagus shoots on top of the chicken so they stick over both sides of the chicken. I used quite a few shoots, but they were very skinny. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up the two ends of the chicken to overlap in the middle. Stick with two toothpicks to keep the chicken from unraveling while baking. Like so,

Place in a greased glass baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165.

Meanwhile, make the hollandaise sauce according the packet, or be cool and make it homemade. Also prepare the side, whatever that may be. A vegetable is incorporated into the main entree, so you can get by with just something starchy like potatoes, rice, etc.

Once the chicken is done, place on a plate and drizzle generously with the hollandaise sauce. Sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy the deliciousness!

Caprese Stuffed Chicken

Yum yum! Caprese stuffed chicken is a fresh, cheesy, and crispy main dish that is surprisingly easy to make. The recipe can be easily modified to work with other stuffing combos (cheddar broccoli, boursin asparagus, Swiss ham, etc).

Start by making a tomato bruschetta-like topping with tomato, basil, garlic, balsamic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix 1 chopped tomato, 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (from the garden!), 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pound 2 thawed chicken breasts between parchment pepper with the smooth side of a meat mallet until flat and near doubled in size.

Dip one side of the chicken breast into Italian seasoned bread crumbs. Place a couple spoonfuls of the tomato mix in the middle of the flattened chicken breast. Place 10-15 fresh mozzarella pearls on top of the tomato mixture. Fold up both end to roll over the cheese/tomato mix. Stick two tooth picks through the roll to hold in place. Sprinkle with more bread crumbs and place in greased glass dish.

I had some tomato mixture and cheese leftover that got covered in raw chicken juice, so I dumped the remaining filling in the pan around the chicken breasts and sprinkled with more balsamic vinegar. This got all crispy and super yummy while cooking!

Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 35 minutes, or until the inside temperature reaches 165 degrees.

We served the chicken over mashed baby red potatoes with garlic toast. Make sure to either take the toothpicks out or warn others before eating. Make sure to serve with the crispy cheese from the bottom of the pan; it was my favorite part!

Enjoy some good cooking from your Neighbor's House!

Chicken Vegetable Casserole Topped with Biscuits

Today, I made a chicken vegetable casserole topped with biscuits by cooking with "feeling" instead of measuring ingredients. My dear husband always complains that I follow recipes too closely and am not willing to make changes to what is written. Here was my chance to prove him wrong and get in touch with my inner chef.

First, I started with sauteing a handful of chopped onion (from the farmers market) in vegetable oil until soft.

Meanwhile, two chicken breast were sliced into strips as cooked in a large pan.

Next, a small handful of flour, Italian seasoning mix (because I couldn't find basil and thyme), salt, fresh crushed pepper and a glug or two of milk was added to the pan of soft onion. I then found the basil and thyme (apparently I alphabetized the spice cabinet) and threw some of that in there too. I brought to a boil over medium heat, stirring often until thickened.

Once the chicken was cooked through, a bag of frozen veggies and the onion mixture was added to the large pan and heated slightly. The mix was transferred to a greased glass cooking dish (after biscuits are made).

While the chicken/vegetable pan was heating, I mixed, just till combined, a handful of flour (my guess at 1/2 cup), a small bit of sugar, a few turns of the salt shaker, and a bit of baking powder. This was spooned over the filled glass dish once the chicken mix is spread. I could only cover half of the casserole, so made a second batch of biscuits. This time it was very wet and goopy, not sticky, as you can see the variations below.

The mixture was cooked at 375 degrees for about half an hour, until the biscuits are golden.

Ta-da! What did I learn with "feelings" instead of written recipes? Sugar does not belong in dinner biscuits, cheese should not be forgotten, and I need to remember my spice cabinet is alphabetized.

Adapted from the 2010 Best Ever Chicken Cookbook by Taste of Home.