Roasted Whole Chicken Breasts With Green Stuffing Recipe #116370
I love roast chicken, but I don't like dark meat. I love the flavor that roasting chicken with skin and on the bone provides. My compromise--get whole--not split--chicken breasts, stuff 'em and roast 'em. And I love sauce, but not necessarily gravy--so this has a thin but not unsubstantial sauce, more than enough for the chicken and the potatoes.
by Chef Kate
2 hours | 20 min prep
SERVES 4
- 3 whole chicken breasts, not split (preferably organic)
- 1 lb baby spinach, stemmed and washed
- 1 head garlic
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
- 1 cup fresh basil leaf, stemmed and washed
- 2 lemons
- 1/4 cup sweet butter
- 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
- 2 lbs red potatoes
- 1/2 lb shiitake mushroom, cleaned and woody stems removed,thinly sliced
- 1/2-1 cup chicken stock
- salt and pepper
- Prepare medium sized roasting pan with rack by coating rack with olive oil (should be a roasting pan no larger than necessary to hold the three breasts and that can be placed on top of the stove for making the sauce)
- Peel and roughly chop 4 cloves of garlic
- Roughly chop spinach
- Tear basil into small pieces
- Place large skillet over high heat
- When hot, add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, chopped garlic, salt, spinach and basil
- Grate fresh nutmeg into skillet
- Stir fry until greeens are wilted and soft
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool
- Clean chicken breasts and remove any obvious clumps of fat or protruding skin
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- With your fingers, gently loosen skin from flesh of the chicken breasts
- Again, gently, stuff greens mixture between the skin and the flesh of the breasts
- Massage the surface of the breasts to evenly distribute the stuffing
- Cut each lemon in half lengthwise (stem to end)
- Rub the outside of the chicken breasts with butter
- Squeeze the juice of one half of one lemon over the breasts and sprinkle the breasts with salt and pepper
- Split the whole head of garlic into cloves; do not peel
- Scatter the garlic gloves in the bottom of the roasting pan
- Scrub potatoes; do not peel
- If very small, leave whole; if larger, cut in half
- Scatter potatoes in the bottom of the roasting pan
- Place the three whole breasts, skin side down, on the oiled rack
- Place a lemon half in the cavity of each breast
- Roast 20 minutes
- Baste with a third of the white wine
- Carefully (without tearing the skin of the breast if possible) turn breast skin side up, placing lemon in cavity beneath each breast
- Baste with pan juices
- Roast another 20 minutes
- Turn oven down to 375°F
- Baste with pan juices; if there is not sufficient liquid in the pan, add more white wine and/or water
- Roast another 10-12 minutes
- Check for doneness
- Remove from oven; tent with foil and allow to rest for at least ten to fifteen minutes
- Remove excess fat from pan (there should be very little)
- Remove potatoes and keep warm
- Remove garlic cloves and squeeze out roasted garlic into the roasting pan
- Place pan on stovetop over medium heat
- Add mushrooms and allow to saute without stirring for 1 - 2 minutes
- Turn mushrooms and saute another minute
- Turn heat to high and add remaining wine and 1/2 to 1 cup of chicken broth
- Scrape to deglaze and simmer until slightly reduced
- Taste for seasoning
- (Optional) Whisk in 1 - 2 Tablespoons of butter
- Note: This is lovely served on a bed of steamed fresh spinach
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5 stars