Stuffed Chicken Breast with Herby Cream Cheese and Prosciutto

How to create the most delicious chicken?Stuff it with cheese and wrap it in prosciutto!

How?

Three components, different flavors, textures, and qualities… the result is yummy and the process easy, what more can one ask for?

I love prosciutto (What is prosciutto? Many know it as Parma Ham — although this is a specific ‘brand’), it reminds me of my childhood; there’s a little Osteria in my village which sells it on little slices of bread and cuts the prosciutto ham by hand to order… just thinking of it my mouth waters and sweet memories come back. Sitting in the garden, under the grapevines… glorious memories. Sometimes is the little things that take you back in time!

This is a ‘Russian Doll’cheese stuffed chicken dish; you have a nice creamy center, full of flavor, keeping the meat moist, then you have the chicken as the middle layer, giving a good protein boost, and then — last but not least — the external layer of prosciutto, bringing some sweetness, saltiness and the right crunch.

How the Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken will look prior to being cooked

This is not going to take long!

From the moment you start chopping, mixing and wrapping, to the one where you put your creation in the oven, no longer than 10 minutes will pass.

Once it is in the oven, it should not take much longer than 25 minutes to cook, but keep an eye on it: you don’t want to overcook it, but you do not want to dry it out either. The timing will depend on the oven and the ‘chunkiness’ of the chicken breast; in order to have a nice even bake, place the tray in the middle of the oven.

If you still have some doubts, check out the notes at the bottom of the recipe… that is where I answer most of the doubts I myself had as well before trying it!

Let’s cook!

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Herby Cream Cheese and Prosciutto

Easy, quick and low in calories family friendly meal!

• 80 g Extra Light Cream Cheese (I used Philadelphia Extra Light)
• 6 leaves of Fresh Sage or 1/2 tsp of Dry Sage
• 2 x 180g Chicken Breast (Boneless, Skinless)
• 4 Slices Prosciutto (Parma Ham)
• 10 Sprays Cooking Spray
• Salt to Taste

1. Preheat the fan oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Take one chicken breast and cut it on the side to make a pocket, ensuring not to cut it through to the other side; repeat the same on the second breast.
3. If using fresh sage, wash the leaves and chop them into small pieces.
4. In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, the sage, and a bit of salt to taste; take this mixture and put half of it in each chicken breast’s pocket. Close the pocket of the chicken well, ensuring the herby cream cheese is sealed inside.
5. On a chopping board, lay two slices of prosciutto, one next to the other one, slightly overlapping; take one chicken breast and place it on top of the prosciutto, at one end. Take the chicken breast and roll it on the prosciutto, wrapping it in the two slices as you go(like a burrito). Repeat on the second.
6. On a baking tray, place a piece of baking paper and spray four sprays of cooking oil; place the two wrapped chicken breasts on the tray and use the last six sprays on top of these.
7. Cook in the oven for about 25 minutes or until cooked through.

This is an easy recipe, yet it sounds and looks very classy… how can it be modified? Here are a few tips and changes you can apply if you wish.

I like to use fresh sage when I have it, as its flavor works wonderfully with dairy products like cream cheese and butter. If you are using dry sage, this may taste a bit saltier than the fresh one, so ensure you don’t over-salt.

As an alternative to sage, rosemary can be used, either fresh or dry. In addition to either herb, you can add a little bit of garlic to the cream cheese; one clove is more than enough for both breasts.

Try to choose a chunky chicken breast, rather than a thin and wide one (like for most stuffed chicken breast recipes); this will ensure that the chicken remains moist and you don’t risk chopping it all the way through when making the pocket for the cream cheese.

I like to use prosciutto for this dish, but speck or other dry-cured meats may suit as well… just try! I would not recommend salame, as it tends to be very salty when baked and it releases a lot of fat (plus the slices are small for wrapping).

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