Il Prosciutto ha avvolto i cuscini di pollo

This is a fairly quick recipe that is very rewarding.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted
1/2 Cup ricotta cheese
Pinch of nutmeg
4 B/S chicken breasts, about 6-8 ounces each
4 Slices of prosciutto ham (preferrably imported)
2 TBS butter
1 TBS Olive oil
12 small onions or shallots (pearl onions are great here)
1 1/2 cup button mushrooms sliced in half
1 TBS all purpose flour
2/3 Cup dry white wine
1 1/4 Cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Drain defrosted spinach in a strainer, and press all the water out with a spoon. In a bowl, mix spinach with the ricotta and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.

Slit each breast through the side lengthwise and enlarge to form a pocket. Fill with the spinach mixture, reshape the chicken breasts, wrap each breast tightly in a slice of prosciutto and secure with cocktail toothpicks. Cover and chill in the refrigerator.

Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and brown the breasts for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a large, shallow ovenproof dish and keep warm until required.

Sautee the mushrooms and onions for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned . Stir in the flour then gradually add the wine and chicken stock. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Season and spoon the mixture around the chicken.

Cook the chicken uncovered in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn the breasts over and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the toothpicks. Serve the chicken with the sauce.

A nice accompaniment with this meal is a candied carrot puree, and steamed fresh green beans. Of course, a glass of chilled chardonnay wouldn't hurt either. Mangiare felice!