Gruyere Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken

I made this last Tuesday and honestly the Gruyere prosciutto stuffed chicken turned out way better than I thought it would. The arugula pesto thing is kind of genius because it keeps everything moist inside without being heavy. Also the prosciutto crisps up just enough on the edges when you sear it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The chicken stays super juicy even though you’re cooking it twice
• You probably have most of this stuff already, except maybe the Gruyere
• The shallot tomato sauce takes like 6 minutes and tastes way fancier than it is
• Pounding the chicken flat means it actually seals when you fold it, no toothpicks needed
• It looks impressive if you’re trying to feed people you want to impress
• The arugula pesto doesn’t need pine nuts or parmesan so it’s cheaper and faster

The Story Behind This Recipe

I got tired of boring chicken stuffed with cheese that always leaks everywhere and dries out. My sister made something similar at Christmas with spinach but it was kind of bland and watery. I had arugula wilting in the fridge and some prosciutto I impulse-bought, so I just started messing around. The Gruyere was left over from fondue we never made. Turns out arugula has enough bite that you don’t need a ton of seasoning, and the prosciutto adds enough salt that you barely need to season the outside. I’ve made this prosciutto chicken recipe three times since Tuesday because it actually works and doesn’t make a huge mess.

What You Need

You’re gonna need 4 chicken breasts that are trimmed already because you don’t want to deal with that weird tendon thing. They should be fairly even in size so they cook at the same rate. The arugula is key here, just 1 cup, and it’s gotta be fresh not wilted because wilted arugula turns into mush when you blend it. I used baby arugula because that’s what I had but regular works fine.

The Gruyere cheese needs to be grated, 1/2 cup of it, and don’t swap it for Swiss or cheddar because Gruyere melts differently and has this nutty thing going on that actually matters. You’ll need 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil for the pesto part, then 2 more tablespoons later for searing. The 4 slices of prosciutto should be thin deli-style, not the thick-cut stuff. For dredging you need 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and some salt and black pepper.

The sauce uses 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots (that’s like one large shallot), 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons warm water. Don’t skip the cornstarch slurry because the sauce won’t thicken right without it.

How to Make Gruyere Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken

Turn your oven to 350 degrees first so it’s ready when you need it. Take each chicken breast and put it between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap. Pound it with a mallet until it’s about half an inch thick all over. This is actually harder than it sounds because you want it even without tearing the meat. I got too aggressive on one and it ripped a little but it still worked.

Throw your arugula, grated Gruyere and that 1 teaspoon of olive oil into a small food processor. Pulse it until it looks like a thick green paste. If you don’t have a food processor just chop the arugula super fine and mix everything by hand. Spread this mixture down the center of each pounded chicken breast, then lay one slice of prosciutto on top of the filling.

Fold the chicken over so the filling is enclosed and press the edges together hard. The chicken should stick to itself if you pounded it thin enough. Season the outside with salt and pepper, then drag each piece through the 1/2 cup of flour. Tap off the extra flour and stick them in the fridge while you make the sauce.

Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Toss in your chopped shallots and let them cook for 3 to 4 minutes until they’re soft and kind of see-through. Mix in the tomato paste and chicken broth, stirring so it all blends together. In a separate small bowl mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons warm water until it’s smooth with no lumps. Pour this into the sauce while stirring and bring it to a gentle boil, then turn it down to low.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until it shimmers. This is important because if the oil isn’t hot enough the flour coating gets soggy instead of crispy. Place your chicken stuffed with cheese seam-side down first and cook for 5 minutes until it’s golden. Flip them and brown the other side the same way.

If your pan is oven-safe stick it right in the oven, otherwise move everything to a greased baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. The chicken needs to hit 165 degrees inside and when you poke it the juices should run clear not pink. Pull it out, put the chicken on plates and spoon that warm shallot sauce over the top.

What I Did Wrong the First Time

I didn’t refrigerate the floured chicken before searing and half the coating just slid off into the pan. It still tasted fine but looked kind of naked and sad. The cold from the fridge makes the flour stick better to the chicken so when it hits the hot oil it actually forms a crust. Also I used cold water for the cornstarch slurry instead of warm and it took forever to dissolve, then I had little cornstarch lumps floating in my sauce which was annoying to fish out.

Gruyere Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken

By Emma

Prep:

30 min

Cook:

30 min

Total:

60 min

Servings:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 trimmed chicken breasts
• 1 cup arugula
• 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 slices prosciutto
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. 1 Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to warm while you prep the chicken.
2. 2 Take each chicken breast and lay it between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap. Pound it with a mallet or flat tenderizer until about half an inch thick. The chicken should look even and pliable without tearing.
3. 3 Make the filling by combining arugula, grated Gruyere, and 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small food processor. Pulse until it turns into a thick pesto paste. If you lack a processor, finely chop the arugula and grate the cheese, then mix them thoroughly with the olive oil until blended.
4. 4 Spread this green, cheesy paste across the center of every pounded chicken breast. Carefully layer a slice of prosciutto on top of the paste.
5. 5 Fold the chicken over the filling, pressing the edges firmly to seal. Season the outside with salt and pepper, then dredge each breast in 1/2 cup of flour, tapping off the excess flour. Place the coated chicken breasts in the refrigerator while you prepare the sauce.
6. 6 In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add finely chopped shallots and stir, letting them soften and turn translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and chicken broth, stirring constantly to combine into a uniform sauce.
7. 7 Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of warm water until the mixture is completely smooth. Pour this slurry slowly into the simmering shallot sauce while stirring. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, then lower the heat to keep it warm and slightly thickened until serving.
8. 8 Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Place the stuffed chicken breasts seam-side down and cook for 5 minutes, until golden brown. Flip and brown the other side equally.
9. 9 If your pan can go in the oven, transfer it directly; otherwise, move the chicken breasts to a greased oven-safe dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and juices run clear.
10. 10 Remove the chicken from the oven and plate them. Spoon warm shallot tomato sauce over the top and serve immediately.

Nutritional information

Calories

460

Protein

40g

Carbs

8g

Fat

28g

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Tips for the Best Gruyere Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken

Don’t skip weighing your chicken breasts before you start. If one’s way bigger than the others it’ll take longer to cook and you’ll end up with some dried out and some undercooked. I just swap the big one for something closer in size at the store now.

The arugula pesto should look thick enough to stay put when you spread it, not runny. If it seems wet add a bit more cheese because watery filling just leaks out during searing and makes the pan smoke. When you fold the chicken over press the seam with your palm for like 10 seconds, not just a quick tap, because the meat actually sticks to itself better with sustained pressure.

Let the oil get really hot before the chicken goes in. You should see it shimmer and move around the pan a little. If you add the chicken too early the flour coating absorbs oil and gets soggy instead of crisping up on contact.

The sauce thickens more as it sits so if it looks a bit thin when you first add the cornstarch slurry just give it another minute. Mine always looks too liquidy at first then suddenly it coats the back of a spoon and I know it’s ready.

Serving Ideas

I put this over a pile of buttered egg noodles the first time and it was honestly too heavy. Now I do it with roasted asparagus or green beans on the side, something that has a bit of snap to balance out the rich cheese filling. The sauce drips down onto the vegetables which is actually kind of great.

Mashed potatoes work if you keep them loose and don’t add too much cream. A simple arugula salad dressed with lemon and olive oil cuts through everything without competing with the pesto that’s already inside the prosciutto chicken recipe. Sometimes I just do bread to sop up the extra sauce and call it done.

Variations

You can swap fontina for the Gruyere if you want something milder but it doesn’t have that same nutty depth, so add a pinch of nutmeg to the pesto to make up for it. Spinach instead of arugula works but you need to squeeze it bone dry first or the filling gets watery, and honestly spinach is kind of boring compared to the peppery arugula bite.

If you don’t eat pork just skip the prosciutto and add an extra tablespoon of grated parmesan to the pesto for salt. The easy stuffed chicken still seals fine without it. I tried turkey bacon once as a substitute and it was weird and rubbery so don’t bother.

Adding sun-dried tomatoes to the pesto filling sounds good but they make everything too wet and the chicken doesn’t seal properly. I learned that one the hard way when half my filling oozed out into the pan.

FAQ

Can I make this chicken stuffed with cheese ahead of time? Yeah you can pound and stuff them in the morning then keep them covered in the fridge. Don’t flour them until right before you cook or the coating gets gummy and gross. They’ll keep stuffed and raw for like 6 hours max.

What if I don’t have a meat mallet to pound the chicken? A heavy pan works if you flip it upside down and use the bottom. I’ve also used a rolling pin but you have to be more careful because it’s harder to control the pressure. Just don’t use a regular hammer from your toolbox because that’s unsanitary and also weird.

Can I use pre-sliced deli Gruyere instead of grating it myself? No because sliced cheese doesn’t mix into the pesto right and you’ll end up with chunks that don’t melt evenly. Just buy a block and grate it, it takes 2 minutes. Pre-shredded has that anti-caking powder stuff that makes the filling grainy.

How do I know when the chicken is actually done without cutting into it? Use a meat thermometer stuck into the thickest part, it should read 165 degrees. If you don’t have one and you press on the chicken with your finger it should feel firm not squishy, and when you poke it with a knife the juices run clear not pink.

Why does my filling leak out during cooking? You either didn’t pound the chicken thin enough so the edges don’t seal or you overfilled it. Use less pesto if this keeps happening, like a tablespoon less per breast. Also make sure you’re pressing that seam hard when you fold it over.

Can I freeze this after cooking? The texture gets kind of rubbery when you reheat it from frozen so I wouldn’t. You can freeze the raw stuffed breasts before flouring them for up to a month though. Thaw completely in the fridge before you cook them or the timing gets all messed up.

What should I do if my sauce is too thick? Just add chicken broth a tablespoon at a time while stirring until it loosens up. Mine got paste-like once because I used too much cornstarch and I had to whisk in like 3 tablespoons of broth to fix it.

Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts? Thighs are harder to pound flat and they cook at a different rate so the timing in the recipe won’t work. You’d have to adjust everything and honestly at that point you’re making a different dish. Stick with breasts for this one.

My prosciutto isn’t crisping up on the edges, what’s wrong? Your pan probably isn’t hot enough when you add the chicken. The oil should shimmer and almost smoke before the chicken goes in. Also if you used thick-cut prosciutto instead of thin deli slices it won’t crisp the same way.

How long does the leftover chicken keep in the fridge? 3 days max in an airtight container. The coating gets soft when you store it but it still tastes fine. Reheat it in a 325 degree oven for like 10 minutes, not the microwave or it gets rubbery and sad.

What can I use instead of shallots for the sauce? A small yellow onion works but chop it really fine because big onion chunks in the sauce are kind of unpleasant. Shallots are milder and sweeter though so the sauce won’t taste exactly the same.

Do I really need to refrigerate the floured chicken before searing? Yes because the cold makes the flour stick to the meat better so it doesn’t all slide off when it hits the hot oil. I skipped this the first time and the coating just dissolved into the pan leaving bare chicken. It only needs like 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

Can I double this recipe for a dinner party? You’ll need two pans to sear everything at once or do it in batches, otherwise the pan gets crowded and the chicken steams instead of browning. The sauce doubles fine but use a bigger pot because it bubbles up when you add the cornstarch slurry.

Why does my cornstarch slurry have lumps? You’re using cold water instead of warm. Warm water dissolves the cornstarch way faster and you won’t get those gross white clumps floating around. Also make sure you whisk it really well before you pour it into the sauce.

Can I make the sauce without cornstarch? You could use flour instead but you’d need to cook it longer to get rid of the raw flour taste and it won’t be as glossy. The cornstarch thickens fast and keeps the sauce shiny which looks better when you spoon it over the plated chicken.

What if I accidentally tear the chicken when I’m pounding it? Just overlap the torn edges and press them together when you fold it over the filling, it’ll still seal. I ripped one last Tuesday and it cooked fine, you couldn’t even tell when it was done because the prosciutto covered everything.

How thin is half an inch really? About the thickness of your pinky finger lying flat. If you go thinner the chicken cooks too fast and dries out before the cheese melts. Thicker and it won’t seal properly because the meat isn’t pliable enough to fold without cracking.

Can I use jarred tomato sauce instead of making the shallot sauce? You could but you’d miss the buttery shallot flavor that really makes this work. The sauce only takes 6 minutes anyway so it’s not worth skipping. Just warm up jarred sauce if you’re truly exhausted I guess.

My Gruyere isn’t melting inside the chicken, why? Either your oven temp is too low or you’re not baking it long enough. It needs the full 8 minutes at 350 degrees for the cheese to get gooey. Also if you used really thick chicken breasts that you didn’t pound thin enough the heat doesn’t penetrate all the way to melt everything properly.