Recipe Box

Our Sous Chef Cory Nimetz shares his recipe for Apple, Fig and Brie Filled Breast of Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless skin on chicken breasts

Stuffing:
2 oz whole butter
½ cup small diced yellow onion
4 red delicious apples diced small
¼ cup cut dried figs
4  oz cubed Brie Cheese
½ cup bread crumbs
Pinch of Cinnamon

Chicken Seasoning:
4 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dry sage
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp dry parsley

Sauce:
1 clove minced garlic
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 cup 35% heavy cream
2 oz clarified butter
2 oz flour
2 oz Calvaos liquor (any brandy will do)
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley

Garnish:
toasted walnuts

Method:

For the stuffing, sauté the onion in butter until soft. Add the diced apples, small pinch of cinnamon and continue to sauté until the apples slightly soften (3-5 minutes). Add the figs in water and reduce until there is very little liquid left. Reserve half the mixture for the sauce later. Remove the pan from the heat and add the bread crumbs and cubed brie cheese. Mix thoroughly and allow mixture to cool. Stuffing can be made in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.

Place the chicken breasts skin side down on a cutting board. Using a small 4 inch paring knife, make a small incision to the thick end of the chicken breast. Insert the knife towards the thin end of the breast creating a pocket for the stuffing. Place the stuffing in a piping bag. Cut the tip of the piping bag to have a half inch diameter. Fill the piping bag with the stuffing and stuff each breast with an equal amount of stuffing. Place the stuffed chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan with parchment paper. Rub each breast with canola oil and season with the chicken seasoning. Place chicken into a preheated oven of 350F. Cook until an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, approximately 20 minutes.

For the sauce: bring the chicken stock, whipping cream and minced garlic to a boil. In a small fry pan melt the butter and add the flour to the melted butter cooking for 2 minutes over medium heat to create a roux. A roux is a classic thickening agent made from equal parts of flour and butter/oil by weight. While the sauce is boiling, whisk in the roux slowly to thicken the sauce. Add the sautéed apple mixture and cook over low heat for 20 minutes to allow the sauce to develop. Add the calvados and chopped fresh parsley. The sauce is thick enough when it coats the back of a soup spoon evenly.

Nap the chicken breast with the sauce and garnish with chopped toasted walnuts. Serve with buttery mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Enjoy!

Yield: 4 servings