Pizza stuffed Chicken Breasts

By KellyJo

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (61.25g) tomato sauce (recipe)
• 1 large (118g) chicken breast, boneless and skinless
• 1 slice (28g) ham
• 14 thin slices (28g) pepperoni
• 2 ounces (56g) raw italian sausage (recipe)
• 1/4 cup (25g) parmesan (reggiano) cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup (28g) whole milk, low moisture mozzarella, grated
• 4 slices (100g) raw bacon
• salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Details

Servings 2
Adapted from djfoodie.com

Preparation

Step 1

It's a bit difficult to make, due to the thin sheet of chicken breast that needs made, but once you've got the chicken, the rest is quite simple. Just add your ingredients, roll it, wrap it in bacon, add it to a hot pan and ... bake!

Be careful with salt on this recipe. Most of the ingredients being used already have a good deal of salt added. You could probably get away with using zero salt, but a very light dusting of salt on the chicken might be appropriate.

Pre-heat oven to 425° F.

Standard tomato sauce, whether homemade or store bought usually has a good deal of water added to it. First, start by placing the tomato sauce on the stove, in a small sauce pot, over medium heat. Let it reduce by half, while you assemble the rest of the ingredients. Once it's reduced to a thick paste, set it aside.

Butterfly the chicken breast (or buy it that way). Lay the chicken breast on a flat cutting board. Place a knife parallel to the cutting board, about 1/2 inch above the surface. Slice into the breast, maintaining a slice that is parallel to the cutting board and essentially cuts the breast in half. HOWEVER, do not cut through the entire breast. Also, be careful not to tear the meat or slice either side too thin. Both top and bottom halves should be equal in thickness. You want to stop slicing, just prior to slicing through the opposing side of the breast. Once you've sliced almost through the breast, you can open it, like the pages of a book. You essentially want to create a thin sheet of chicken.

Once you've got a thin sheet of chicken breast, place it between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound it even thinner. You can use a mallet, rolling pin, or even the bottom of a sauce pan. Just be careful to hit it flatly and evenly, or else you will make deep divots in the chicken. Ideally, the chicken will be a thin and even sheet of chicken breast, when you are done.

Place your slice of ham on the chicken.

Mix your two cheeses. Then evenly spread over the sauce.

Pre-heat a large oven-proof sauté pan, over medium-high heat.

Once the log is complete and the pan is hot, carefully place the seam side down in the sauté pan. Let it sear for about 30 seconds, then place the entire pan in the oven. Allow it to bake for roughly 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the log.

Once the chicken has an internal temperature of 160° F, remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for 10 minutes, before slicing.
Slice and serve!