Stuffed Chicken with Herb Gravy and Polenta and Bacony Green Beans

This past weekend was a little bit of a dreary one here in Los Angeles. It even rained. I love rainy weather. It's an excuse to snuggle up and get all cozy. It's an excuse to make things with gravy.

This recipe from Cooking Light was the perfect meal for a chilly, overcast evening. Chicken, gravy, veggies with bacon - there are so many things to love here. 

I failed at the stuffed part of this recipe. As you can see from the photo I just put the prosciutto on top of the chicken and melted the cheese over everything. I totally don't feel like we missed out on anything by not stuffing.  

Another upside? This reheated in the microwave really well for lunches the next day. S said it "may be the best microwave re-heated leftover meal I've ever had." 

So let's recap: comforting, delicious even if you mess something up, and makes great leftovers. Yep, this one is a winner. We will definitely be making this again.

Stuffed Chicken with Herb Gravy and Polenta and Bacony Green Beans
From: Cooking Light
Servings: 4 servings
Time: about 45 minutes

Ingredients:
For the chicken/polenta/gravy:
4 chicken breast halves
2 thin slices of prosciutto, halved
4 slices reduced-fat provolone cheese
1 tbsp canola oil I used olive oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp minced shallots
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp chopped parsley No love for the parsley in this house
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh tarragon Not much more love for tarragon

For the green beans:
2 slices bacon
12 oz green beans, trimmed
3 tbsp water
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Create a pocket in each chicken breast half, cutting horizontally into, but not all the way through. Arrange 1/2 slice of prosciutto and 1 slice of provolone. Press poket closed around filling. (Or you can skip this step, like I did and top each chicken piece with the prosciutto and provolone and melt a little in the microwave before serving.)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil, swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with pepper. (Let's be honest, I sprinkled with some salt too.) Add chicken to pan, top side down, and saute 5 minutes or until browned. Carefully turn over (if you went with the pocket) and cook 4 more minutes or until done. Remove from pan and keep warm. 

Combine 2 tbsp of stock and the flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add shallots and thyme to the pan and saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the flour mixture and the remaining stock to the pan with the shallots and thyme. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes or until reduced to about 3/4 of a cup. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get the little browned bits from the chicken. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, parsley, and tarragon.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until nice and crispy. Remove bacon from the pan, leaving drippings in the pan. Add green beans to the drippings in the pan and toss to combine. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the water and cover; cook for 2 minutes of until crisp tender. Break bacon into small peices and sprinkle over the green beans with the black pepper.

In another pot, bring milk and 1/3 cup water to a simmer. Gradually add the polenta, stirring constantly. Cook 3 minutes or until think, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/4 tsp salt. 

Nutrition Information:
Calories 488, Fat 19.1 g, Saturated Fat 7.4 g, Protien 49.8 g, Carbohydrate 21 g, Fiber 1.5 g, Cholesterol 139 mg, Sodium 735 mg.