Apple & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I have a confession to make. It has to do with "stuffing". I'm specifically talking the kind of stuffing that we cram inside our Thanksgiving turkey.  I've been told that I make delicious stuffing, but I wouldn't know.  You see, I'm one of those Un-Americans who doesn't like stuffing.

There. I said it.  I don't get what's so good about goopy, soggy bread, a bunch of onions and vegetables-- maybe oysters, or nuts... slathered with gravy.  Every year, I take a bite and I'm still not impressed.  Pass me the mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, and I'm happy. I'm sorry. I just can't get excited about stuffing!

 

Until, a couple weeks ago-- I saw a recipe for "Apple Stuffed Chicken Breasts", on Mel's Kitchen.  I looked at the bowl of apples  that I keep stocked for lunches, and  realized that apples would make a good pairing with chicken.  I had  chicken breasts, waiting to become dinner. Then it hit me-- I have lots of fresh French tarragon in our herb garden, and I decided this would compliment the chicken (parsley or sage would work, too).  The next thing I knew, I grabbed some shallots, for extra flavor and I preheated the oven to 425F.

I admit that any kind of measuring, flew out the window.  I eyeballed about 1 cup of grated Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese.

One peeled and sliced apple went into the bowl, and about one cup of breadcrumbs, and a little garlic salt.

 

After cutting a slit into the boneless chicken breast, I began to cram the stuffing in.

Then I pondered, how to keep all this stuffing from falling out...

..and I grabbed the kitchen twine and problem solved!

I much prefer to sear and roast my meats, whenever possible.  This method has proved succesful for me, in that my meats remain moist. After seasoning each breast with coarse salt & pepper,  I seared each chicken breast in a bit of olive oil, in an oven-proof skillet.

Then, I flipped them over and put them into a preheated 425F oven, for about 25 minutes (or until the chicken is at 160F).

I removed the chicken breasts, set them on a plate and loosely covered them with foil.

The pan sauce I made, turned out to be one of my best ones yet!  I started by deglazing the pan with some apple cider, then I added a splash of white wine.  This is Boiled Cider, and I buy it from King Arthur Flour.  The boiled cider really brings out the flavor in apple pie, and I'm finding it works great in so many recipes. I added a "splash" (about 2 Tablespoons), and about 1 cup of chicken stock.  Then, I let it reduce to about half-- about 7-8 minutes, on medium-high heat.

The aroma of this dinner cooking brought my husband out of his office, and anxiously waiting for dinner.  

The pan sauce was truly one of my best-- the sweetness of the apple cider, and a splash of acidity from the white wine-- perfection!

TASTING NOTES:  This is a stuffing I learned to love, at first bite.  Melted cheese and apples is a terrific combination.  The shallots and the mild anise flavor, of the tarragon, added a lovely savory element to the sauce.  My husband loved this dinner, and I have to say that I did, too.   The next time I make this, I think I'll butterfly the chicken so I can add a lot more stuffing, then roll it, and tie it with kitchen twine.   These could easily be prepared in advance, and then cooked when company arrives.    This recipe is a keeper. I promise you.

Who says that chicken gets boring?  Not this way!  I pretty much changed around the original recipe, but I still thank Mel's Kitchen for inspiring me to stuff chicken with apples and cheese--brilliant!

A printable recipe card is at the end of this post. If you can't view it, click here.