When you find solid good ingredients, I find less is more. Someone has put a lot of care into making sure these ingredients exist, someone cared enough to sell them in their store, and you cared enough to seek out their product. So, does it really make sense to then burry them beneath other flavors and ingredients? Make these flavors the center of your meal. Pay tribute to them and those that made it possible for you to have them. In the Wellesley village we are lucky to have a few very specialized shops that provide great ingredients: Wasik’s Cheese Shop, where they claim the title as one of the oldest full service cheese shops in the country, and Tutto Italiano, where they have insanely good sandwiches brought to an ethereal level by the superb buttery prosciutto they sell. Barbara Lynch has been serving up portions of simple dishes that play tribute to seasonal ingredients in her Boston Restaurants for years, and this recipe, one of her own, does just that. The Prosciutto adds contrast in color and texture while the earthy Teleggio slowly melted in a bed of boneless, skinless chicken breast erupts as you cut into it, cascading down over the tomato and olive salad. With just two star ingredients this simple chicken breast is transformed into something extraordinary.
Ingredients:
For the Chicken:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (try to go organic, they will be smaller and therefore much easier to wrap)
6 oz. Taleggio, sliced into 6 pieces
2 T fresh tarragon leaves
12 thin slices prosciutto
2 T extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
For the Salad (optional):
½ c cherry tomatoes, halved and quartered
1 c pitted kalamata olives
4 small celery stalks, peeled and sliced thinly on the bias
1 bunch fresh parsley, stems trimmed
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 T fresh lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method:
1. Using a sharp knife, cut a 2-inch pocket lengthwise down the middle of the thickest part of the chicken breast – be careful not to cut all the way through.
2. Put a piece of cheese in the pocket, pinch the meat shut over it, salt and pepper the breast and top with the tarragon.
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| Taleggio |
3. Wrap the prosciutto around the breasts, two pieces per breast. Be careful to get your prosciutto cut in strips, not disks, it will make our life way easier than mine was… If the cheese tries to pop back out, poke it back down with a finger as your wrap the prosciutto around it.
4. Heat the oven to 375.
5. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the breasts about 5 minutes per side. Add more oil as needed. Do not try to rush it, the prosciutto will unstick from the bottom of the pan when it is ready to be flipped - otherwise you will tear it and cheese will go everywhere.
6. Put the seared chicken breasts on a baking sheet and bake until cooked through, another 8-12 minutes (or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165).
7. Let the chicken rest, this will allow the meat reabsorb the juices.
8. To make the salad: combine all the ingredients but olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Combine the liquid ingredients separately by whisking and then pour over the chopped salad.
9. To serve: place some of the salad in the center of the plate and then place the chicken breast on top.
