Chicken and Egg - Janice Cole [27]
1 ½ cups sliced leeks trimmed and cut ½ inch thick, white and light green parts
Creamy Deviled Egg–Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Deviled eggs take on a new role when stuffed into chicken breasts for a creamy filling with a rich egg taste. This play on the chicken and egg question will delight your guests as they cut into the chicken breast and find it stuffed with eggs.
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a small, rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Halve the eggs, remove the yolks, and reserve the egg whites for another use. Mash the egg yolks in a small bowl with a pastry blender or a fork until they resemble fine crumbs. Stir in the mayonnaise, blending until smooth. Stir in the shallot, mustard, salt, and pepper. Gently stir in 2 tablespoons of the parsley.
Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and make a ½- to 1-inch horizontal slit into the plump side of the breast with a thin knife. Very carefully, slide the knife into the slit, keeping the knife parallel to the cutting board, cutting to create a larger pocket inside and being careful not to cut through to the other side. (Making only a small cut on the outside of the breast and creating a larger pocket on the inside helps prevent the filling from oozing out during cooking.) Put the deviled egg filling into a disposable pastry bag. Or put it into a small resealable plastic bag and cut off the corner. Pipe about 3 tablespoons of filling into the pocket of each chicken breast half. Secure the opening with toothpicks.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and heat the oil. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 4 minutes or until deep golden brown, lowering the heat to medium if the chicken is cooking too fast. Turn and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to the baking sheet, brown-side up.
Bake the chicken for 10 minutes or until no longer pink in the center. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley before serving.
NOTE
The chicken breasts can be assembled, covered, and refrigerated for up to 8 hours before baking.
SERVES 4
6 hard-cooked eggs (see Note, Lemon-Tarragon Deviled Eggs)
½ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons minced shallot
¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 ½ pounds)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts over Roasted Potato Salad
Pan-roasting, the technique of browning food on top of the stove and finishing it in a hot oven, is a perfect way to ensure moist chicken breasts. The whole process takes only 8 to 10 minutes. Roasted potato salad—made with crisp, golden potatoes—is a fantastic accompaniment to the chicken.
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To make the potato salad: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Toss the potatoes in a large bowl with the olive oil. Lightly rub a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and spread out the potatoes in one layer, if possible. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the tops of the potatoes are light brown and the bottoms are golden brown. Leave the oven on for the chicken.
Meanwhile, stir together the mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and mustard in the same large bowl. Gently toss the hot roasted potatoes with the mayonnaise and stir in the green onion, radishes, and egg.
To make the chicken: Combine 2 teaspoons of the olive oil with the garlic and spread over the chicken; sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 4 minutes or until brown. Turn the chicken and immediately place in the oven. Bake 4 to 6 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
To serve, slice the chicken and fan over the potato salad.
SERVES 4
ROASTED POTATO SALAD
1 pound unpeeled red new potatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 teaspoons extra-virgin