Apple Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Chicken is a fantastic summer dish.  It can be made in so many ways, served hot or cold, and the addition of fruit only enhances the flavor.  My friends at Summer Recipes have come up with a nice and easy chicken recipe that incorporates the bird with apples, raisins, pecans, orange juice, apple jelly, and sherry.  Great for your tongue to play with and the leftover can be reserved or chopped up into a chicken salad spread between slices of raisin/cinnamon bread.  WOW.

Ingredients

·         6                boneless and skinless chicken breasts

·         1 ½ cups    Diced apples.  You choose red or green.  They both work

·         ¼ cup        Chopped golden seedless raisins (I like the golden in the Summer and red when it is cold)

·         ¼ cup        Chopped pecans (use walnuts if you prefer)

·         3 Tbl          Minced onion

·         2/3 tsp       Sage (pour it into your hand and rub it around a bit to get the oils working)

·         Some toothpicks

·         ¼ cup        Orange juice concentrate (make orange juice out of the remainder)

·         ¼ cup        Margarine

·         1/3 cup      Apple jelly

·         ¼ cup        Sherry (dry works much better than cream sherry here)

Directions

1.            Prepare the apples, raisins, nuts, onion and sage,  put into a medium bowl, and combine (stir them together).  (Prepare means dice the apples, chop the raisins, etc.)

2.            Take out a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap about 3 times as wide as the largest chicken breast.

3.            Wash the chicken and cut off the fat

4.            Fold the plastic wrap in half and put a chicken breast in the middle.  This will keep everything clean.

5.            Pound the breast with a meat mallet or rolling pin until it is about a quarter of an inch thick.  Don’t go crazy hear thinking about the guy who cut you off on the way to the grocery store.

6.            Place the breast on a plate and do the next one until all are done.

7.            Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

8.            Put about a spoonful of the apple mixture (stuffing) on each chicken breast.

9.            If you have some left either cook it or add it evenly to the chicken breasts.

10.        Roll the breast up, tuck in all sides, and put a wooden toothpick through each to keep them closed.

11.        Place the chicken in a baking pan with sides.

12.        Wash your hands very well.  Raw chicken is not something you want to play with.

13.        Combine the orange juice, margarine, Apple jelly and sherry.  I use the same bowl I had the stuffing in.

14.        Pour the orange juice mixture into a small saucepan and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes.  This will make about 1 cup of glaze.

15.        Put the chicken into the oven, uncovered, for around 45 minutes and brush/baste often with the glaze.