I discovered Boursin cheese spread back in the late 1970's. When we had dinner parties, we would serve it on crackers with cocktails before dinner. When was the last time I served cocktails before dinner? For that matter, when was the last time I had a "dinner party"? That was a whole different life I had back then! Several years ago a friend at work mentioned that she had tried this recipe with Boursin spread stuffed in chicken breasts. She never actually gave me the recipe, but just kind of told me how she make it. I fooled around with it for a few years before I finally wrote the recipe down. Usually when I make this, I finish cooking the chicken in the oven while I made the sauce. I avoid turning my oven on in the summer, so tonight I tried finishing it on the stove. It's just as good and uses one less pan! You can easily find Boursin spread in your grocery store. It comes in a little white box with green lettering. It's usually near the specialty cheeses, like the brie and goat cheese. It now comes in several different flavors, but I still use the original garlic and herb version.
4 very thinly sliced chicken breasts
1 pkg boursin cheese spread
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
Pound chicken breasts very thin. I usually put them in a zipper bag to do this, but don't close it or it will pop. Dry chicken with paper towels. Open the cheese and cut in half. Cut one half into four portions. Put a portion of cheese onto each chicken breast and roll the breast around it. Fasten with a toothpick. I used several toothpicks to keep the ends shut. Put butter and olive oil into a large skillet over medium high heat. Put flour, salt and pepper into a shallow dish and mix to combine. Coat the chicken in the flour and shake off excess. Place chicken in the skillet and cook for about three minutes on each side until nicely browned. Some of the cheese might leak out, but that's okay, it will just get incorporated into the sauce. Remove the chicken to a separate plate. It is not cooked all the way through at this point.
Now add three tablespoons of the dredging flour to the skillet and cook for two minutes, whisking to combine. Add the wine to the skillet and whisk while getting up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add about one cup of the chicken broth whisk and cook for two to three minutes on medium high until sauce thickens. If at any point the sauce seems too thick add a bit more chicken broth. Return the chicken to the pan, cover and cook over low heat for about ten minutes, turning once. Check the temperature of the chicken with an instant read thermometer, it should be 165 degrees. Now remove the chicken to a platter and cover with foil.
Now add the remaining cheese spread to the pan and whisk until fully incorporated. Add rosemary and parsley. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. If sauce becomes too thick add more chicken broth. Pour sauce over chicken and serve. I made this with buttered noodles and fresh green beans. Enjoy!
Please leave any questions or comments in the "comments" section below this post, and please share with your friends! Thanks!
Happy cooking!
Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie
