mozzarella stuffed chicken rolls with cacciatore sauce
this recipe came from the hubby. i know! he is on a roll. no pun intended. 🙂 we were brainstorming recipes, which of course we do often. i guess i had a bad idea. i thought that i would make stuffed chicken breasts with a dijon cream sauce. my husband was like, 'mozzarella and dijon? i don't know, baby. lol. how about a cacciatore sauce?' my thoughts went crazy about this great idea the hubby had just threw at me! it was brilliant. i know traditionally, this sauce is made with white wine, so feel free to sub in. i am not a huge fan of capers, but throw in a handful, if you are.
ingredients:
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese -
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme -
- 4 chicken breasts - cut in half, pounded thin (i used a rolling pin)
- salt/pepper -
- 8 toothpicks -
- 1/4 cup flour -
- 4 tablespoons canola oil - divided
- 2 tablespoons butter -
- 1/2 onion - chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper - chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning -
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste -
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes -
- 1 cup chicken broth - *i used bouillon based
- 1 teaspoon sugar -
instructions:
- in a small bowl, add the mozzarella cheese and thyme. toss, set aside.
- lay the pounded thin chicken breasts on a flat surface and season both sides with salt/pepper to taste. add a small amount (about a tablespoon) of the mozzarella mixture to the end of the flatten breast. roll the chicken breast up and secure the end with a toothpick. repeat with remaining breasts.
- preheat a pan with 3 tablespoons of the canola oil and the butter over medium high heat.
- add the flour to a plate and lightly dredge each roll with the flour. add the chicken rolls to the hot pan. if your pan is small, cook in batches, trying not to overcrowd the pan. brown each roll on all sides (no need to cook all the way through), and remove from the pan to a plate.
- add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the pan and saute for a few minutes until slightly tender.
- add in the italian seasoning and tomato paste. stir to combine, and cook for a few more minutes allowing the tomato paste to toast.
- pour in the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and sugar, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pan. taste, season accordingly, and add back in the chicken rolls.
- cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. remove the toothpicks and slice. makes 8 mozzarella stuffed chicken rolls.
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