This is a straightforward recipe, chicken is amazing when stuffed with this pesto and wrapped in the salty Parma ham, you might want to use toothpicks to keep the stuffing inside
Serves
2
Cooking time
1 hour
Ingredients
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 Tablespoons pine nuts
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon salt
4 large slices of parma or serrano ham
1 teaspoon pepper
Toothpicks
First make the pesto – place basil and pine nuts in food processor. Cover; process a few times with on-and-off pulses. Add garlic; pulse a few times. Slowly add oil in stream while processor is running, stopping to scrape down sides of processor with rubber spatula. Add Parmesan cheese; pulse until blended.
Heat oven to 375°F.
Butterfly each chicken breast – start at long side and cut in half horizontally, cutting almost but not completely through. Open chicken and flatten to resemble butterfly shape, place the chicken side by side on top of of some clingfilm and gently flatten it into a square shape being careful not to break the chicken up, it should be a couple of cms thick. Take another piece of clingfilm and place the ham on top to form a large rectangle, place the chicken on top and then spread the pesto in the middle. Grab the long end of the clingfilm and gently roll the ham/chicken into a long roll. Tuck in the ends so you basically end up with a long roll of chicken wrapped in ham
Make sure it is tightly rolled and leave in the fridge for half an hour, this will help it keep shape. when ready to cook remove the clingfilm and pan fry over a high heat until nicely browned all over. Transfer to a baking tray and cook in the oven for 30-30 mins
Cut into slices and serve with new potatoes