Friday, February 10, 2012

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken Stuffed with Dried Cherries (Aphrodisiac-Amplifying Alcohol Sold Separately)

As I mention in the opening of the video, this stuffed, prosciutto-wrapped chicken breast has everything you want in a Valentine’s Day entrée; it looks fancy, it tastes amazing, and contains dried cherries, a known aphrodisiac.

Of course, the efficacy of aphrodisiacs has been hotly debated for centuries, and while I think that some foods can have this effect, it’s virtually impossible to prove as scientific fact. One challenge with objectively analyzing the libido-leavening effects of these substances is that they’re often served alongside copious amounts of alcohol.

Would eating two-dozen oysters still turn you on, if you didn’t down all that champagne with them? Does chocolate mousse have the same effect if not preceded by a bottle of wine? I guess we could do some experiments eating these foods without drinking, but to be honest, I’m really not curious enough to do something that extreme.

Anyway, whether this delicious stuffed and rolled chicken breast helps gives your Valentine the urge to merge, or not, no one will argue that it would still make for a beautiful and romantic meal. I hope you give it a try. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
4 thin slices prosciutto

For the stuffing:
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped
1 tsp freshly picked thyme leaves
1 tsp freshly minced oregano
2 cloves minced garlic
1 rounded tbsp finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tsp olive oil
1 egg yolk
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne

For optional pan sauce:
3/4 cup chicken broth
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp cold butter
salt and pepper to taste

73 comments:

Jason said...

When tying the chicken together I thought you were going to say, "now guys, don't mention how much you like to tie the knot." Hahaha.

Morgan said...

I have to say, I'm somewhat disappointed there were no jokes to accompany the *pounding* of the chicken. :P

Jill Mant~a SaucyCook said...

Who knew that dry cherries were an aphrodisiac? And here I thought it was me...ha!! I do use dried cherries in a lot of recipes, ever since purchasing a huge bag of them at Cotsco. I will have to try this; it looks delish.

Food Junkie said...

A fabulous sounding dish.

Anonymous said...

this looks alittle dry to me but have to say your recipes are great,i,m making your apple pork tenderloin for 60/80 sunday tested it sunday last was great :)keep them coming Chef !!!

inchrisin said...

Yeah Chef John, and you totally dropped the ball on the aphrodisiac cherry making you hor--ibly happy. You could have tried harder with the jokes :)

inchrisin said...

Yeah Chef John, and you totally dropped the ball on the aphrodisiac cherry making you hor--ibly happy. You could have tried harder with the jokes :)

Anonymous said...

the rice pilaf part at the end...that was great.

Dave said...

Chef John,

Great looking recipe! What kind of non stick pan are you using in this video. I would like to pick up a high quality set this weekend and was wondering what you prefer.

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Looks great! I think I will give it a try!

Chef John said...

btw, don't let my bad photography fool you, the chicken was very moist! Sometimes because of setting up the video and still shots with the camera, the meat dries out after slicing. I don't do any food styling tricks, so sometimes it looks drier than it was.

Anonymous said...

Chef John...been keeping up with you for a loooonnngg time....

Get a Tumblr blog too.

Lots of talented Tumblr blogs. It's kinda the thing before it becomes the thing... If you know what I mean

Chef John said...

No I don't! :) why would I want another blog?

Okra Recipes said...

Im a prosciutto lover and boy does this look great! I will try these! Thanks

Chris K. said...

Tollhouse cookies made with dark chocolate chips and dried cherries... Lawds yes!

Unknown said...

What would be a good substitute for the dried cherries? Can’t find any where I live.

Anonymous said...

Looks good! Do you mind if I ask were did you get your meat pounder?? I have looked in a couple of places and all I find is ones that look like a block with a handle on it. Didn't like them.

George C said...

This looks amazing. One of our family members does not eat pork. Can you recommend a substitute for prosciutto.

Anonymous said...

chef, can i substitute the cherries for dried cranberries?

Chef John said...

Of course!! Did you think there was a reason you couldn't?

Chef John said...

a substitute for prosciutto? no.

Chef John said...

Don't remember where we got the meat pounder, but you can easily find on Amazon.

Morgan said...

Chefs Catalog (chefscatalog.com) has those meat pounders and the ball whisks we often see Chef John using. Though, I have not been able to locate a freakishly tiny wooden spoon. Someday...

Anonymous said...

Thanks will do

Vanessa said...

damn it, why do you make me lick my computer screen with these recipes? lol

maureen said...

Chef John,

Could you please recommend a substitute for the cherries?

Thanks so much for the instructional videos!

Love the chicken and mushrooms.

Chef John said...

any dried fruit! thanks!

Anonymous said...

Does it have to be dried fruit? would it work with cut up jarred cherries (and No i don't mean maraschino's lol)

Alice said...

Does it have to be dried fruit?

Pantalone said...

The chicken breasts could be brined if one was worried about them "drying out".

Chef John said...

You could, but it's a lot easier to just not overcook them. ;)

Unknown said...

I had never really cooked until I found your website. Thanks for making everything so easy! I'm trying this one tonight!

Luiza said...

Just tried this, but with dried apricots instead of cherries. Overwhelmingly good!

Anonymous said...

Dear Chef John

Can switch cherries for cranberries and serve it with cranberry sauce?

Valerie said...

SO incredible! My store only had cherry juice infused dried cranberries - they were just fine! I would have enjoyed this even more if I hadnt forgot to grab my hotpad BEFORE I grabbed the 400 degree skillet handle. Oh the bright side, I will never do it again.
However, this is one of those dishes that look AND taste like a "fancy company dish", but it really is very easy.

Sandy said...

Chef John, I found this website 2 days ago and tried your prosciutto wrapped chicken last night.

It was ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!

My cooking mentors are Julia and Jacques, and I am very free and creative in the kitchen. I'm not a bad cook if I do say so myself, and on every recipe I use artistic license to adjust the dish to our tastes. Of course, I did that on this recipe, but followed it pretty much and my prosciutto wrapped chicken really kicked butt!

Foodwishes is now my go to site for recipes. You are a great chef!

Anonymous said...

I just prepped these puppies for tomorrow and cannot wait to try them out!!!

Pixiebdg

The Birdman said...

Chef John:

Can you recommend a substitute for goat cheese?

Carey said...

Chef John,

Can you recommend a substitute for the chicken, the bread crumbs, the fresh herbs, the egg, the prosciutto and the dried cranberries?

Sheeeeeesh, people, chill with all the substitutions already! Make it or don't make it! :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks very much John. For Valentine's Day I made your Prosciutto wrapped cherry-stuffed chicken and the Tiramisu chocolate mousse for dessert. Thanks for a great recipe and for making me look so good in the eyes of the Mrs! You're the man!

Mike Rininger

Tammy said...

My daughter has made several of your recipes for us to try out and this one is for our Valentine's Dinner tonight. I can't wait to try it! Thanks for all the great video recipes you do.

Chef John said...

thanks all!

Anonymous said...

I made this last night. It turned out to be quite good. It wasn't too dry (as some have speculated) but I think the sauce shouldn't be optional.

I'm not wild about fruit combined with chicken or pork, especially when garlic is involved. So next time I'm going to leave out the cherries and substitute chopped sun dried tomatoes, or green olives, or perhaps even artichoke hearts. I think it could use a bit more cheese and I might try one of the above combinations with sage rather than thyme

Anonymous said...

Made this for valentines :D Had to dry my own cherries; use cocktail sticks instead of string; use beef stock instead of chicken; and used margarine instead of butter for the gravy - STILL turned out amazing! Definitely cooking it again.

Linda said...

Best V-day dinner EVER, and no waiting for a table! Thanks for the awesome recipe and guidance for my kitchen-challenged self.

exce55ive said...

There's a lot of gentle pounding in this video.
I see what you did there Chef John...

Anonymous said...

OHHH BAAAAABY, YOU KNOW WHAT I LIKE! ;-)
As if the tips on the flap, the saran wrap and the string weren't enough, there is the fact that these little wonders can be made ahead of the dinner hour and stored in the frige until needed, then are put in the oven just long enough for you to get your act together with the side dishes! The resultant dish is just fabulous, it made a real hit here. Thanks for this one Chef John!

Anonymous said...

My boyfriend made this for Valentine’s Day dinner. We were both pleased with the results. The chicken was perfect, not at all dry, the cherries and prosciutto went well together, and the pan sauce was gorgeous. A very happy evening was had by all.

Connie T. said...

I made this last night. It was really good. I put up pictures on my blog. http://connieemeraldeyes.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/chicken-roll-up-stuffed-with-dried-cherries-wrapped-in-proseiutto/

I changed it a little bit because I didn't have all your ingredients.

Anonymous said...

complete success, thanks for this

LibStre said...

Served this to my family as part of their Valentin's Dinner, which also featured your No-Knead Ciabatta, One Potato Gnocchi (to which I added a creamy basil pesto), and my own roasted carrots. Dessert was your Chocolate Mocha Pot de Creme. All of it was fabulous; but, more specifically to this post...absolutely high-end and better than any similar concept I have ever had in a restaurant. It brought me so much joy to prepare something of this caliber for my family. Thank you for your outstanding instruction, sense of humor, comedic timing, and recipe(s).

Anonymous said...

I guess the substitute for prosciutto is proseiutto.
btw, for who didn't know , that's uncooked and aged ham

Tasha Vonbonbon said...

I tried this dish and it was wonderful! The chicken was perfectly moist, and tasted fantastic. Instead of the sauce mentioned, I substituted olive oil and balsamic frutatti (sweet forest fruit flavour) and some garlic, heated up and drizzled on top. It was great. Thankyou!

Aubergine Recipes said...

Chef John,

I grew up as a prosciutto eater myself being from an italian background, so i really love it. Ive had it with chicken, but ive never had it with cranberries. You know what? Thinking about it seems to go really well together. I have to try these. Thanks a lot for this recipe!

Anonymous said...

Ooooh, I'm inspired! I don't really like to mix fruits with salty food (never have been a fan of that) so I will probably substitute the cherries with sun dried tomatoes and some honey to get that added depth of sweetness back in.

Unknown said...

Hi Chef,

Can I use crushed pitted prunes and almonds for the stuffing?

Chef John said...

of course!!

Espen said...

I was planning on making this with rice pilaf, but I've only got one oven. Is it possible to find a temperature that fits both?
Or do you maybe have any other suggestions?

Chef John said...

just roast with rice! no prob, just check with thermometer

John said...

Chef John, you are the man. I made this last week for my mom and I and it was awesome. Everything played off each other beautifully and the chicken was moist and delicious. However, the prosciutto I bought was nowhere near as perfect as yours looked in the video. Despite that I think this is a money dish and I hope it turns out just as well when I make it for my GF this week for our anniversary. Also making your tiramisu chocolate mousse for desert which is going to get me sooooo many compliments.

Unknown said...

Chef John,
Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it soon after you posted it for my husband on Valentine's Day. Sadly, our anniversary is shortly after and he was a bit disappointed I didn't save such a delicious dish for that day, but never-the-less it was such a hit he asks me to make it whenever he wants a nice/special dinner. The chicken is so moist and juicy, as well as flavorful due to the filling, but also extremely delicious from the prosciutto too. Sooo good! I will be making it for his birthday in the coming week and he is looking forward to it so much I may need to make extra! I just wanted to thank you for all that you do; I never got a chance after I made the dish. I enjoy your posts, videos, and dishes shared very much; my family does also. Thank you! Sincerely, a fan.

Chef John said...

thanks! ;)

Gypsy said...

This is the first of your recipes that I try, and definitely not the last one. Just AMAZING! Not dry at all (is it the pounding, the wrapping, or what?) and really flavorful. Looking forward to trying many, many more. You're my new hero :)

Anonymous said...

I can't wait until next Valentine's Day to try this recipe. I'm going to go shopping in the morning and make this for my family tomorrow night. Oh, and true, 'from the heart', romantic gestures will give most women 'the urge to merge'. It doesn't even have to involve food at all. My SO doesn't really enjoy cooking (although he CAN and WILL when necessary, as in I'm ill and don't feel like cooking myself, (nor do I like taking the chance on spreading my 'cooties' among the rest of the family) he will just jump in without even having to be asked, making sure none of us go hungry just cos I'm feeling awful. (Now THAT'S 'romantic', even though he has to 'wait' for his 'reward' til I'm feeling better!) Still, most of us women LOVE the small, romantic gestures. A nicely turned-down bed, with a rose on the pillow...or a favourite chocolate...(or BOTH) at bedtime, especially when it's preceded by a bubble bath drawn by him, is a winner every time.

Back to the food...romance goes both ways. I KNOW he will love this dish. I could even find my bath and bed awaiting by the time I have the children in bed tomorrow night! So, thanks a million for this. YUM(MO)! Oh, and sorry for leaving so many (long) comments in one evening. I'm going to write my grocery lists now, so will leave you alone for now.

Archer said...

Chef John,
Could you add a recipe size calculator to your site? I think copykat recipies is the site that lets me do that. That would make it easier to adjust your foodgifts for larger or smaller gatherings.
Bob

Julio said...

Just finished eating this. Could not find dried cherries thou, but fresh ones did their job well with a little cooking.

Thanks a lot John, i am very much inspired by your posts. This one is just amazing!!!!

firefighter Jesse said...

Chef John, I try a lot of your recipes at the fire station where I work, the guys love them. Keep up the great work. PS,do you make sandcastles. Jesse

Unknown said...

can i use dried figs instead of cherries?

Anonymous said...

Chef John. Thanks again for another amazing recipe. I just did this up for dinner tonight and it absolutely rocked!! Followed by homemade chocolate pudding.
PS, the cherries worked!

Cheers!

Anonymous said...

Can you use dried cranberries instead of the dried cherries?

Chef John said...

You know you can. ;)

Unknown said...

Chef can I prepare them one day in advance and cook them the next day. 24 hours. No problem with the chicken?

Unknown said...

Hi ,
Can I use canned or fresh cherries instead?