NJPerkins

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Roasted Peppers, Prosciutto and Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Served Over Porcini Rice Pilaf with Marsala Wine Sauce

Submitted by: Craig

Serves 4 as written.

All Ready for a Lucky Diner!

This is a long winded name for a dish, but it is easy and quick to prepare; probably quicker than repeating the name three times!  Originally it came from a Food Network show about 9 years ago but I have made some changes over time.  It is prepared in two parts: the rice pilaf and the chicken.  I usually get the rice going and then begin work on the chicken.  The rice may be done first, but the pilaf is so moist it doesn’t suffer from standing awhile.  In addition, this makes absolutely great leftovers for the microwave.

Instructions & Ingredients

For Rice Pilaf

• 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
• Olive oil
• 1 small onion-small diced
• 1 Cup Basmati or other long grain white rice
• 1.5 cups chicken stock or broth
• 1 Bay leaf
• Salt and Pepper to taste

For Layered Chicken Breasts

• 4 Chicken breast halves
• Flour
• Olive oil
• 4 Slices of Prosciutto ham
• 8 Pieces of roasted red peppers
• 4 slices of fresh mozzarella
• ½ cup Marsala wine
• ½ cup water
• Salt and Pepper to taste

  (Increase or decrease chicken, prosciutto, roasted pepper and mozzarella depending upon number of servings desired.)

Rice Pilaf

• Soak the dried mushrooms in a cup of warm water for about 20 minutes. Then dice the mushrooms and reserve ½ cup of the mushroom flavored water.
• Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan.  Sauté the diced onion and mushrooms for several minutes until the onions are soft.
• Add the rice and sauté for 2-3 minutes, lightly toasting the rice and coating with the oil.
• Add the chicken stock/broth, reserved mushroom liquid and bay leaf.  Bring to boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 15-18 minutes, fluff with a fork when all liquid is absorbed.

Layered Chicken Breasts:

• Remove any fat or membrane from the breasts. Season with salt and pepper, dredge in flour.
• Heat approximately ¼ cup of olive oil in a large sauté or fry pan.  When heated, place floured breasts in pan and brown on each side; about 5 minutes per side.
• Place a layer of prosciutto ham on each breast, followed by a layer of roasted red pepper.  Layers should cover most of the breast.
• Add the Marsala wine and water; lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes to cook the chicken through.
• Place a ¼ to ½ inch slice of fresh mozzarella cheese on top of each breast.  Holding in place with a toothpick is not a bad idea.  Cover and continue to simmer until the cheese has melted the desired amount.  Do not make the mistake of putting the cheese on when the other layers are created.  In that case, the cheese will virtually melt off the breasts by the time they are fully cooked.
• When the cheese is melted to your heart’s content, remove the breasts to a platter.  Raise the heat under the pan, and add ¼ cup or so of a flour/water mixture to thicken the Marsala Sauce.

Serving

• Serve the Rice Pilaf onto a plate and make a bed.
• Place chicken over rice and cover with the sauce.
• Serve with bread, salad, wine, etc.

About White Rice, Mushrooms and Roasted Red Peppers

White Rice

I started using Basmati (Indian) rice a few years ago after Brendan and Megan gave me a great Indian cookbook.  I am able to buy 15-pound bags of it at Sam’s Club.  It is available in most grocery stores in small containers, but it’s quite expensive that way.  I have never had Basmati cook poorly.  It is an extra long grain, very light rice that is really good for an all purpose rice.  Other long grain rice will work, but brands like Minute Rice, Success Rice and others like those should be avoided at all costs.  The only other white rice I like to use is Arborio rice for Risotto. 

The rice pilaf recipe above is a great, simple way to make a pilaf for almost any type of meal.  By the time it is cooked, the onion flavor is very mild.  Onions and mushrooms are not required.  You can substitute almost anything you want: peas, ham, small shrimp, cumin seeds (a great flavor for rice) and so on.  The secret is to sauté the ingredients and then sauté/toast the rice.  You can also substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.  And sometimes, I won’t use broth at all.  I’ll use a cup of white wine, which I will add after sautéing the rice.  I’ll stir the wine with the rice for a few minutes and then add the water. It’s as simple as can be and can be as varied as you want it to be.

Mushrooms

This recipe calls for porcini mushrooms, but you can really use any kind for a rice pilaf.  They don’t need to be dried either.  If you have some mushrooms that are getting a bit old and dry, they are perfect for this type of recipe.  Porcini mushrooms are usually sold in small plastic containers (as are other specialty mushrooms).  They keep almost forever in the cupboard until you’re ready to soak and use them.  They add a great flavor to a rice dish.

Roasted Red Peppers

These come in various size jars.  One 7oz jar of Mancini Brand Roasted Red Peppers is probably enough for two or three large breasts.  Larger sized jars are available.  I bought a 12 ounce jar of Dunbar’s roasted peppers.  The pieces were all quite small and difficult to work with.  I wouldn’t buy them again.  If you can see that the pepper pieces are large, that will make it easier to create the layers.  Leftover peppers will keep in the fridge for about a month.