Chicken Stuffed With Ham and Cheese

4 Skinless, boneless Chicken Breasts                                                        4 Skinless, boneless Chicken Breast   

4 Very Thin Smoked Ham Slices                                                                4 Very Thin Smoked Ham Slices

90g Gruyere Cheese Thinly Sliced                                                             90g Gruyere Cheese Thinly Sliced

2 Eggs, Beaten                                                                                           2 Eggs, Beaten

75g Dried Breadcrumbs                                                                             ¾ Cup Dried Breadcrumbs

1Tsp Dried Thyme                                                                                      1 Tsp Dried Thyme

75g Butter                                                                                                   1/3 Cup of Butter

4 Tbsp Olive Oil                                                                                          60ml Olive Oil

Plain Flour for Coating                                                                                All Purpose Flour, for coating

Salt and Black Pepper                                                                                Salt and Black Pepper

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 6-8 Minutes                                                                Cooking Time: 10-12 Minutes

1. Slit the chicken breasts about three-quarters of the way through, then open them up and lay then flat (they will look like a butterfly). Place a slice of ham on each side of the chicken, trimming it to fit if necessary so that they ham does not hang over the edge.
   
   
   
2. Place the Gruyere slices on top of the ham making sure they are tucked in the middle. Fold over the chicken and reshape, pressing well to seal make sure no cheese is visible.
   
   
   
3. Spoon the flour for coating into a shallow bowl, pour the beaten eggs into another bowl and mix the breadcrumbs with the thyme in a third bowl.
   
   
   
4. Toss each stuffed breast into the flour, then coat in the egg and breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess.
   
   
   
5. Place the butter and oil into a Large Frying Pan on a Medium Heat, if you only have a small frying pan you’ll have to cook the chicken 2 at a time.
   
   
   
6. When the fat stops foaming, gently slide the chicken breasts into the pan. Shallow Fry over a Medium-low heat for 5 Minutes each side, turning over carefully with a spatula. Drain for a few minutes on Kitchen Paper to soak up any excess fat. Serve with a crisp Green Salad.
   
   
   

Cook’s Tip: You can prepare these in advance and keep in the fridge, this will help the coating to set.


Variation: Instead of using Gruyere Cheese you could any hard cheese you prefer and ones with herbs in will give another flavour to the dish.

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