Lighten Up (Gruyere, Arugula and Prosciutto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Carmelized Shallot Sauce)

One of my goals this year has been to eat healthier. Now, I've never met a recipe with a stick of butter or a cup of heavy cream that didn't make me go weak in the knees. But it's pretty easy to have delicious food when you're only cooking with fatty ingredients. So I'm branching out this year. I am now in possession of the Cooking Light Complete Cookbook and The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger. I'm enjoying going through these books, particularly the Ellie Krieger one. She has a very healthy approach to eating, as well as some very tasty looking recipes. Expect to see quite a few here in the future!

This recipe, from the previously mentioned Cooking Light cookbook, caught my eye. Maybe it's because it's quite possibly the longest recipe name I've ever encountered. Maybe it's because I have an undying love for Gruyere cheese. Whatever the case might be, this was my first recipe from my new cookbook!

The recipe suggested stuffing the chicken in advance. I did the morning I made this for dinner, and it worked out perfectly. It breaks up the recipe and makes the rest of the recipe that much easier.

Now for the verdict: I was blown away by how amazing this was, and how low in fat, too! The combination of gruyere, arugula and prosciutto was delicious, and the sauce added that little something extra. We both devoured this! I can't wait to make it again!

I bought an entire bag of arugula, so I used the rest by tossing the extra with diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, and a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add some fresh-grated Parmesan cheese and homemade croutons and you have a gourmet meal!

I don't have a large nonstick pan, so I just used my stainless steel All Clad. I think it turned out a little tastier because I was able to scrape up the brown bits from the chicken when I added the wine into the pan. Yum! I would put this in my top 5 chicken recipes!

Gruyere, Arulua, and Prosciutto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Carmelized Shallot Sauce

Source: Cooking Light Complete Cookbook

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 45 minutes

Chicken:

6 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

6 (1/2 ounce) slices prosciutto

6 (1/2 ounce) slices Gruyere cheese

1 1/2 cups trimmed arugula

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

Carmelized Shallot Sauce:

1 cup thinly sliced shallots

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 cups dry white wine

2 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 teaspoons water

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. To prepare chicken, place each breast half between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Discard plastic wrap. Top each half with 1 slice prosciutto, 1 slice cheese, and 1/4 cup arugula, leave a 1/4-inch border around edges. Fold in half, pinching edges together to seal, sprinkle with salt and pepper. (Chicken can be prepared up to a day ahead, and refrigerated).

3. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, cook 5 minutes on each side. Place chicken in shallow baking pan, bake at 350 for 5 minutes or until done. Turn off oven and leave in until sauce is ready.

4. To prepare sauce, add shallots to skillet and saute 4 minutes over medium-high heat or until browned. Add tomato paste, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 6 minutes. Add broth, bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half, about 8 minutes.

5. Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl, stir with a fork or whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture to sauce and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove chicken breasts from oven and plate them; top with at least 1/4 cup sauce. Enjoy!