Sweet Stuffed Chicken with Rosemary Potatoes and Green Beans

I'll take any excuse to invite people over to sample whatever culinary creation I can come up with (feedback is important afterall) and last night was no exception.  With it being Valentine's Day, I invited a couple of my friends over for dinner, champagne and movies - the perfect way to celebrate a long weekend!

With Valentine's Day in mind, I set out to create a sweet combination of flavors that would compliment each other well.  I wanted my guests to be surprised by the ingredients that I chose and enjoy all of the flavors and textures of the dish.  To accomplish this, I made a raspberry and goat cheese stuffed chicken breast that was then wrapped in prosciutto and baked until the cheese and raspberry filling melted together to create this sweet and creamy center and the prosciutto supplied a salty and crispy exterior.  We all agreed that the best of part of this dish was the "awesome ooze" of raspberry and goat cheese that leaked onto the plate when the chicken was sliced.  At one point in the evening, one of my friends suddenly froze.  "Quick! Grab your camera!" she yelled.  "I have the perfect shot of the ooze, hurry!  The people, need to see the awesome ooze!". Thanks to her quick thinking, at the bottom of this post is the a picture of the "awesome ooze".

To accompany the chicken, rosemary roasted red-bliss potatoes were served alongside quick-fried green beans that were topped by caramelized shallots and hazelnuts.  This is a great dish that is super easy to make but sounds sophisticated.  Ideal for any special occasion or dinner party. 

Since I made this dish for three people, that is how I am presenting the recipe.  It's a fairly simple ratio and you can adjust it to accommodate however many people you're making this for (even if it's just yourself!) 

For the Chicken:

- 3 chicken breasts

- 3 thin slices of prosciutto

~ 3 tbs of seedless raspberry jam

~ 3 tbs of goat cheese, crumbled

- Extra virgin olive oil for brushing

- Salt and pepper

For the Rosemary Potatoes

- 5-6 medium sized red bliss potatoes
~ 2 heaping tbs of Dijon mustard
~ 2-3 tbs of extra virgin olive oil
~ 1 tbs dried Rosemary
- Salt and pepper to taste

Green Beans with Shallots and Hazelnuts

- A couple of large handfuls of fresh green beans, ends trimmed

- 1 large shallot

~ 1 tbs of butter

~ A small handful of hazelnuts, toasted

- Salt and pepper to taste

To make the chicken, take a paring knife and slice a large pocket in the chicken.  Being careful not to tear the chicken, open up the breast and layer it in wax paper.  With a meat mallet or other heavy tool (I used a handheld juicer) pound the meat so that it is even in thickness.  Remove wax paper and evenly spread about 1 tbs of the jam on one half of the chicken.  Be careful not to bring the jam all the way to the end or it will leak out when cooking.  Place about 1 tbs of goat cheese crumbles on top of the jam and fold over the other half of the chicken to enclose the stuffing.  Brush the chicken with a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil.  Salt and pepper the outside and then carefully wrap a slice of prosciutto around the chicken.  Place in baking pan.  Repeat this with the two other chicken breasts.  Set the chicken aside.  You can even do this step the night before and refrigerate it.  Just to be sure to take it out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you bake it so that it will cook evenly.  Bake the chicken at 400 for about 15 - 20 minutes or until the internal juices of the chicken run clear. 

For the potatoes, wash and slice them into medium sized pieces.  Place the cut up potatoes into a Ziploc plastic bag.  Add the mustard, extra virgin olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper.  Shake the bag around, allowing the potatoes to be fully coated in the mustard mixture.  Pour the potatoes into a baking dish and bake them at 400 for about 45 minutes, stirring every once and a while to ensure even cooking.  Test for doneness by piercing a potato with fork.  It should have a crispy exterior and a smooth and creamy interior.

For the green beans, heat the butter in a heavy pan on the stove on medium heat.  Thinly slice the shallots and gently toss them in the butter.  Add salt and pepper.  Allow the shallots to caramelize in the butter, stirring every once in a while to avoid burning.  Let the onions cook for about 25 minutes until they become very soft and brown.  Remove the shallots from the pan and set aside.  Add the green beans to the pan and raise the heat to medium high.  Quick fry them until they become slightly tender but still have a bite to them.  Add the shallots back to the pan and stir to combine.  Top with the toasted hazelnuts just before serving.