Boneless, skinless chicken breast can be so boring. But there is nothing boring about this recipe for Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts in Marinara.
The making of Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts in Marinara
Boneless, skinless chicken breast can be so boring. But there is nothing boring about my recipe for Quick Chicken Cacciatore or this recipe for Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts in Marinara.
Chicken breasts filled with prosciutto, oozy cheese, then covered in tasty breadcrumbs and a delicious marinara sauce. YUM! And easy too.
How to pound out a Chicken Breast
This recipe needs a uniformly thin chicken breast.
Pounding out a chicken breast without tearing it apart can take a little practice. Using too much force will generally leave the breast with holes in it, and when you are filling the inside with cheese, holes are not your friend.
To properly pound a chicken breast out, it's best to use a gentle, yet firm, pounding action. Start at the center, and gently pound outwards. Most recipes will ask you to put the chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap, I find this difficult to work with as the plastic wrap slips and tears. So a zip-top bag to the rescue. Using a gallon freezer bag, place the breast inside, and proceed to gently pound it into a uniform thickness, about ¼ inch is perfect for this recipe.
Make your own Italian Style Breadcrumbs
I used to always buy Italian Style Breadcrumbs in the blue can. You know the one, I think they are made by Progresso. It's a good product, but I have found lately that I prefer to make my own by mixing panko bread crumbs with Italian seasonings, a little grated parmesan cheese, and freshly chopped parsley. I love the texture of the panko and the freshness the parsley gives. And it doesn't take but a nano-second (ok nano-minute) to put it together. (For this recipe, use ½ cup panko, ½ to 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings, and about 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese. Mix them all together)
But pre-made is fine if you so choose.
Cutting back on carbs? No problem.
If, for any reason, you are off carbs, then, by all means, omit the breadcrumbs.
After rolling the chicken breast up with the filling inside, season with Italian Seasonings and just fry them as is.
No biggie. Just a slightly different texture, but all the flavor remains.
Of course, you won't need ½ cup of oil to sauté them, so adjust accordingly. You will probably need no more than a tablespoon or two.
Marinara, jarred or fresh?
This recipe is excellent when made with your favorite jarred marinara sauce, but even better with freshly made. If you have the time (and time is what it's all about, isn't it) then make your own fresh marinara like my Basic Marinara Sauce recipe.
This super easy sauce freezes well, so make a batch when you have time, then portion it and put it in the freezer. When I portion my sauce, as I do for all of my homemade stocks, I portion it into two-cup servings. I find this is the most convenient and most used portion size AND if I need more, I just defrost two instead of one.
Easy peasy!
You can serve these Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts with pasta, or, as I did, with Zucchini Spaghetti which for you no-carb, low-carb eaters make it a perfectly perfect meal!
Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts in Marinara
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 slices about 1-ounce each prosciutto
- 4 slices about 1-ounce each fontina or mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- ½ cup Italian style seasoned bread crumbs or as needed
- ½ cup oil for frying
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place the chicken breast into a large zip-top bag, pound using a meat mallet (not the tenderizing side but the flat side) to ¼ inch thickness.
- Place one slice of prosciutto and cheese on each; roll and either tie with string or fasten with a toothpick.
- Beat an egg in a large shallow bowl; add the bread to another shallow bowl. Dip in egg; roll in breadcrumbs.
- Heat oil until hot, fry chicken until golden brown.
- Place one cup sauce on bottom of a baking dish, top with rolls, pour remaining sauce over; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350º F for 20 minutes, or until hot.
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