Pancetta and Pistachio Stuffed Chicken Breasts

  

    
What to do with boring chicken?  Chicken Piccata?  Been there.  Chicken Marsala?  Done that.  Chicken from India, Morocco, Spain?  Check, check, check.  Another strategy for anything is to make it taste like something else, and that can be achieved by stuffing it.  Stuffing something can impart both taste and texture, and once you learn its basics, you can apply it to all sorts of meats.  The other day at the supermarket I was thinking about stuffing a veal chop.  I have several recipes for that, but veal chops are a rare commodity at most markets.  I have recipes for stuffed pork chops, but I had pork for lunch on this day.  So, I decided to apply one of those recipes to chicken and the results were fabulous.  The stuffed pork chop recipes I have come mostly from La Cucina Italiana, an Italian cooking magazine to which I subscribe.  They each use pine nuts, garlic, parsley and a cheese.  Some include capers or olives, but I personally am a fan of neither.  Some of the cheeses they recommend I've never heard of, so I use fontina, which I find excellent for this purpose.  I also like to add a bacon taste and on this evening I opened the pancetta I like to keep on hand.  I was out of pine nuts, so substituted pistachios, which worked wonderfully.  Serves 2.
    
Ingredients:
4 slices of pancetta, diced
1/4 cup pistachios, shelled and chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic cloves, minced
2 skinless chicken breasts
salt/pepper
2 slices fontina cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chicken stock


Directions:
Slice the chicken breasts horizontally on the long end, but not all of the way through like a book, to open them.  Season with salt and pepper.  In a medium saute pan over medium heat, cook the diced pancetta until browned and remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel.  Turn the heat in the pan down to medium-low.  Mix the pistachios, parsley, garlic and cooked pancetta together and spoon half onto each of the open chicken breasts.  Add a slice of fontina to each breast on top of the mixture.  Close the chicken flaps and use toothpicks to fasten together.  If more oil is needed to saute the breasts then was rendered by the pancetta, add some olive oil to bring to 2 tbsp total.  When heated, add the chicken breasts, cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Turn the chicken breasts, recover and cook another 5 minutes.  Uncover and test the chicken breasts to ensure cooke through, perhaps with a small cut with a knife.  If almost cooked, they can be removed to a plate and covered with foil to complete the last minute of cooking.  In the pan, add the chicken stock and deglaze the bits on the bottom, stirring to mix and bringing to a simmer.  Turn off the heat and swirl in a pat of butter if desired.  Remove the toothpicks from the chicken, plate and spoon the broth on top.