Sometimes in life ya just gotta stuff things in other things.
I think for us women it obviously started at a young age, when we dutifully learned to stuff our, ahem, bras. And then it was basically mayhem from there. If there is something to stuff, we’ll stuff it. Give me that purse. I WILL STUFF THAT THING.
So today, to celebrate the fact that we’re driving to Arkansas so that Aaron can play in his old band’s 10-year reunion show, we’re stuffing chicken!
Oh no. There’s no connection at all. I’m just stupid giddy.
I actually made this dish two days in a row. Once as an experiment (just like bra stuffing) and then once for the video (um, not like bra stuffing I SWEAR, MOM) we shot last week. And I have to say, day two’s method was pretty dope. I added a fat dollop of fresh pesto to the mix, and instead of layering everything on the pounded out chicken (like in ze pic below), I stirred the cheese into the mixture before putting it on the chicken. And I’d like to take the next few moments to express the following:
Eeeevery night in my dreams, I see you. I FEEEEEL YOU. THAAAT is how I know you go onnnnnn.
Near . . . far . . . WHEREEEEEVER YOU ARE. I BELIEVE that the heart does go oooooooooooon.
Oh, you’re still here? Wow, that’s embarrassing.
But you should definitely stuff some chicken.
Cheesy Asparagus and Roasted Red Pepper-Stuffed Chicken:
What it took for 2:
* 1/4 bunch asparagus, stemmed
* 1 roasted red pepper, diced
* 1 Tbs. pesto (homemade or store-bought – either!)
* 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
* 2 chicken breasts
* 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 cups spinach
* coarse salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the asparagus and boil for 1 minute. Immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain the water and dice the asparagus into small chunks.
In a small bowl, combine the diced pepper, asparagus, pesto and mozzarella cheese. Toss in a pinch of salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Now, place the chicken breasts between two large pieces of plastic wrap. Pound them out thinly until they’re as even as possible. Didn’t that feel good?
Divide the pepper mixture and dollop at one end of the chicken, and then roll her up! You don’t really need to toothpick them shut, but you can if they don’t want to hold. I just used my tongs to kind of keep them together when I was searing. Also, you might left over mixture, which is awesome. Throw it in a tortilla the next day and make a quick lunch quesadilla.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken rolls and gently sear on all sides until browned and lovely, about 7 minutes total. Make sure to season them as you roll. Because it’s how you roll. Sorry.
Then transfer the chicken to the oven and cook another 5 to 7 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove from the oven and let the chicken sit for a couple of minutes. Then slice and serve over a bed of spinach leaves! You can wilt these too if you want.
ONCCEEEE MOREEEE YOU OOOOPEN THA DOOOOOO’.
Looks fantastic. You had me at cheesy….always a great way to start and recipe title!
Stuff that chicken right in my pie hole, please.
hahaha I second this! For my pie hole, not yours. Well, yours too because you said it first. That got awkward fast.
I love stuffing food… and stuffing my face. Win-win!
This looks amazing and even better that the recipe is for 2!
Yeah…. ok,I’ll hold back from saying what’s on my mind.
Have a safe trip!
Oh, this recipe is for two? Because I’m pretty sure I’d double the recipe and then eat ALL THE SERVINGS because this looks too. dang. good.
Can i just say that i’m totally making this for dinner tomorrow!
I want to stuff this stuffed stuff in my mouth right now.
Have a safe trip!!! Where/when is the show? My hubby is a huge fan of live music – could be a fun date night!
It’s in Fayetteville, Saturday night at Rogue on Dickson! It’d be a trip for you guys. I wish you could make it!
Fun! I’d love to go – next time maybe
I would stuff my bra with that chicken.
hahaha. that was funny!
Definitely wanna get stuffed with this stuffed chicken!
What a gorgeous chicken dish and I love the asparagus!
I wanna stuff myself in this dish.
I was in Sur La Table today and they had an entire section for stuffing things on the grill. And apparently you can now stuff burgers without them falling apart. If I’m ever capable of making a burger with cheese and bacon on the INSIDE, I may never eat anything else again.
Now that is a tasty stuffing for chicken!
This is my kind of chicken. Love it!
Soooooo I’m totally new to your blog, but WOW. Not only does this recipe look delicious, i love your commentary with it. You’re my kind of foodie!!!
I made this last night and it turned out wonderful. The filing was awesome with the chicken. I tripled the recipe which was a challenge to sear all 6 chicken breasts but it ended up being worth it. Next time I might try to sear the chicken flat with no stuffing and then placing some stuffing over and under the chicken breast when it goes in the oven. Do you think it will turn out the same?
I made this and it was delicious . I served it with a baked sweet potato. When I put it in the oven I put a lid on it and it made a wonderful sauce to put over the chicken. Would be great for guest. Yummy !!!!!! Thank you. i also pinned it
I also made my own pesto and didn’t have fresh basil but had lots of dried. I found a recipe and it was simple and great !