Souffle Stuffed Chicken

When my friend, Claire told me about this recipe I was really skeptical. I think I told her it was going to suck, actually. I can't remember why I was so against it, but I think my negativity had something to do with the fact that it used prepared, frozen souffle for the chicken filling. Claire ended up giving it really good reviews, so I thought I would give it a shot. I am happy to report that I was totally wrong!!! This chicken rocked my world. Okay, maybe that is overstating things a bit, but it was super-good. I now recommend this chicken, too!


Souffle Stuffed Chicken
From: The South Beach Diet Cookbook by Arthur Agatson

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
1 (12 ounce) package Stouffer's frozen spinach souffle, not thawed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
chopped fresh parsley (to garnish)
lemon slice (to garnish)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a serrated knife, cut the frozen spinach souffle crosswise into 4 equal pieces. Top half of each whole breast with one of the pieces of souffle. Fold half of the chicken over the filling and fasten edges with wooden picks.

Heat the oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until golden. Add chicken breasts and cook for 7 minutes per side or until well browned.

Remove chicken to an oven-proof dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until a thermometer registers 170 degrees F when inserted into the thickest portion.

While the chicken is baking, add broth, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper to the large skillet. Heat to boiling then reduce to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the sauce is reduced to 1/2.

To serve, remove and discard wooden picks. Arrange chicken on a warm serving platter and spoon sauce over the chicken. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and lemon slices.



The Result:
The kids, husband, and I all give this recipe a thumbs-up. If you try it, make sure you make both the sauce and chicken...the sauce was the star, I think. Although, my husband would disagree and say that the garlic chips beat out the sauce for the favorite component. Either way, the whole combination of flavors was tasty. We had a green side salad and dinner was done. This is something that I will make again!

(Note: My photo does not include the sauce. I took the pic and then remembered the sauce...oops.)