My mom came by to hang out with the boys so of course I pressed her into service! She makes the very best recipes out of thin air, throwing things together with instinct and experience guiding her hand. The only challenge was making her measure things out so I could write this recipe down! She started off by making a roux with butter and flour, then added cream and vegetable stock to thin it out. A liberal dash of paprika made such a difference, it added a beautiful smokey quality to the whole sauce while the gouda brings a lot of creaminess and body. If you want to make a vegetarian version, just serve the amazing sauce with some pasta!
- 6 chicken breasts
- 4 tbsp butter divided
- 4 tbsp high heat oil
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup cream
- 3/4 cup vegetable stock
- 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1/2 onion finely diced
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme minced
- 1 cup gouda shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan grated
- 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts cut into manageable pieces
- Start by making a roux. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons to flour and whisk over medium heat for about a minute. Whisk in the cream and stock. Add salt, pepper, paprika, and balsamic vinegar. Remove from heat and set aside.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a large pan and melt over medium high heat. Add the finely diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened. Add garlic, mushrooms and thyme and cook until garlic is softened, making sure to stir so nothing burns. Add in spinach and stir until all is wilted. Remove from heat, add cheeses, artichockes, and pour in about half of the sauce. Stir everything together to distribute the ingredients and melt the cheese. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Slice the chicken breast into a thin strip so it can be stuffed. Pound the breast to tenderize and thin. Add filling to the breast and fold to enclose. (You should have a good amount of sauce left over for later) You can seal the breast using toothpicks so it holds together in the next step but they’re optional. You can also season the outside with salt and pepper.
Add the oil to a pan and heat over high heat. Add the breasts and sear for a 1-2 minutes on each side.
Transfer breasts to a baking dish and spoon over some of the remaining sauce on top of each breast.
- Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Increase temperature to broil and bake 4 minutes longer. Remove from oven.
- I recommend serving with rice or pasta mixed with the remaining filling and sauce. If you’re curious I paired this with asparagus spears and was quite content. Hope you enjoy!
This was perfect for dinner last night! So many flavors