Dazzling Yuletide Chicken

By akselden

Ingredients

• 4 4 or 5 ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 5-ounce container semi soft cheese, with French onions, garlic and herb or garden vegetables
• 8 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• Hot cooked wild rice (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Rinse chicken; pat with paper towels. Place each chicken breast half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound lightly till about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle with pepper.
2. Divide the cheese into 4 equal pieces; form into balls. Place a cheese
ball in the center of each piece of
chicken. Fold in the sides and roll the
pieces up, jelly-roll style.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment
paper or foil. Evenly stack 8 phyl-
10 dough sheets on a work surface.
(Cover and return the remaining phyllo
to your freezer.) With a sharp knife, cut the phyllo stack into 12-inch squares; discard trimmings.
4. Generously brush one square with
butter. Place another square on top;
brush With butter. Keep the remaining
6 squares of phyllo covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying.
5. Place a chicken breast, seam side
down, on the buttered stack. Gather up
the phyllo to form a bundle, twisting
top slightly to hold it together. With a spatula, transfer to a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining phyllo squares and chicken breasts.
6. Bake in a 375° oven for 25 to 30
minutes or till phyllo is golden. Serve
with hot cooked wild rice, if you like.
Makes 4 servings.