I know stuffed chicken is no revolutionary idea, but you gotta admit, it’s pretty awesome. I didn’t use any “recipe” for this, but I definitely must give credit to my old boss, Tim, for this one. You see, a long long time ago (okay, like 5 years ago), in a place far far away (aka Missouri), I worked in a great little fine dining restaurant. Aside from my coworkers and a few of my favorite regulars, Tim and his food were my FAVORITE thing about that job. I still talk about it, even today, to people who have no idea where the state is, let alone where the city and restaurant in my story are, but the story always ends with the same point: if I could only have one person cook for me the REST of my life, it would be Tim. That says a lot. Unfortunately, in a small town like that this type of restaurant just proved not to work, I heard about a year or so ago they had closed the door. Anyhow, one of my favorite items on the menu was an avocado & sun dried tomato stuffed chicken, here’s my best representation of it, I hope you enjoy. Oh, and if you are wondering where those tomatoes are, I don’t like them so I skipped them, but if that’s your thing then by all means add them!

Avocado & Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken   (Print Me)

Yield: 4 servings, scale as needed

Ingredients: 
4 Skinless boneless chicken breasts
4 Slices cheese (I cut 1 oz slices of part-skim mozzarella)
Avocado, sliced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Spaghetti Sauce (A cup or so of homemade or you’re favorite jarred)
Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Combine flour, garlic & onion powders, and Italian seasoning in a shallow bowl or plate and set aside. Carefully slice chicken breasts horizontally until almost in half. If the chicken is exceptionally thick in any areas you may want to pound it to a more even thickness for consistent cooking. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken then layer the cheese inside, concentrating on the middle since the cheese will melt and ooze. Place 1/4 of the avocado (and/or fillings of your choice) on top of the cheese in each breast and close the chicken. Place a couple of toothpicks in the chicken to secure the opening.

Heat a large pan over medium high heat with a couple of tablespoons of oil. Gently roll the chicken in the flour mixture (no need for an egg wash because chicken is inherently slimy). When the pan is hot carefully add the chicken, brown on all sides (about 2-4 minutes each side, you are probably going to need to do the sides and top & bottom too). When the chicken is browned cover and allow it to cook a few more minutes until the juices run clear (with chicken I always make a small cut in to the thickest part to make sure). Top with spaghetti sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, serve immediately.

Source: Me, inspired by Chef Tim