Chicken with Cranberry Stuffing
I came up with this dish by combining various elements my family enjoyed from other recipes. It's a very pretty way to dress up plain chicken breast halves. —JoAnne Cloughly, East Worcester, New York
I came up with this dish by combining various elements my family enjoyed from other recipes. It's a very pretty way to dress up plain chicken breast halves. —JoAnne Cloughly, East Worcester, New York
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup onion chopped
- 3-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
- 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
- 8 bacon strips
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
- creamy mustard sauce:
- 3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- Carbohydrate 111.957057379262 g
- Cholesterol 306.141562630097 mg
- Fat 77.0396946684405 g
- Fiber 3.71960825852886 g
- Protein 77.837728328429 g
- Saturated Fat 40.9032975981421 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (1003g)
- Sodium 1435.55311873676 mg
- Sugar 108.237449120733 g
- Trans Fat 4.44925600733783 g
- Calories 1446 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add the broth, brown rice and wild rice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 55-65 minutes or until rice is tender. Drain excess liquid if necessary. Stir in the cranberries, parsley, thyme and pepper.
- In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until cooked but not crisp; drain on paper towels.
- Flatten chicken to 1/4-in. thickness. Top each with 1/4 cup rice mixture; roll up from one end. Wrap two strips of bacon around each roll-up and secure with toothpicks. Place remaining rice mixture in a greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish; place roll-ups over rice.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat honey, uncovered, on high for 30 seconds; spoon over chicken. bake, uncovered, at 325° for 28-30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Discard toothpicks.
- In a small saucepan, combine cream and mustard. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture is reduced and begins to thicken, stirring constantly. Serve warm with chicken.
Swapping the wild and brown rice blend for quick-cooking white varieties transforms this preparation into a watery disaster because long-simmering grains require specific liquid ratios to absorb three and a half cups of chicken broth without turning into mush. Preparing this dish demands patience at the stove and strict attention to equipment sizing, starting with a saucepan large enough to hold the initial grain simmer without boiling over. Flattening boneless chicken breasts to an even quarter-inch thickness requires a sturdy meat mallet and plastic wrap to prevent tearing the delicate protein fibers before rolling. Cooking the bacon over medium heat until it remains pliable ensures the strips bend around the stuffed poultry without snapping, while toothpicks hold the bundles secure during transfer. Baking the assembled roll-ups at 325 degrees for twenty-eight minutes prevents the lean meat from drying out while the honey glaze caramelizes on top. Reducing the heavy cream and spicy brown mustard over medium-low heat thickens the sauce properly, requiring constant stirring to prevent scorching on the pan bottom. Any leftover portions keep safely in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, though the bacon will soften during storage and benefits from a quick reheat in a hot skillet to restore texture.
- Simmer the brown and wild rice blend for 55 to 65 minutes until tender, draining any surplus liquid before mixing in the dried cranberries and fresh herbs.
- Pound the chicken breast halves uniformly to 1/4-inch thickness to guarantee even cooking times across all four portions.
- Heat the honey for exactly 30 seconds on high in the microwave to achieve a pourable consistency for spooning over the poultry.
- Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 28 to 30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches safe poultry standards and no pink remains.
- Store remaining portions refrigerated for no longer than three days for optimal food safety.
Precision matters when managing multiple components like simultaneous rice simmering and mustard cream reduction. Executing these steps deliberately prevents common kitchen failures.
