Chicken Breast Stuffed With Dried Fruit

Here's one of my favorite ways to cook chicken breast. The key is to ask the butcher to give you two chicken breasts that have been butterflied — meaning that they are removed from the bone, but the two breasts are still attached in the middle.

The sweet/savory stuffing helps to keep the breast from drying out during cooking. Feel free to change the fruit depending on your tastes and what's in the house. I love using figs or dried cranberries in this recipe as well.

1/2 onion
1 rib celery
4 dried apricots
3 prunes
2 tablespoons raisins
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 chicken breasts, removed from the bone but still attached to each other
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper

Preheat the over to 400 degrees.

Mince onion, finely chop the celery, and cut apricots and prunes into small pieces. Place in a bowl. Add raisins and breadcrumbs. Moisten with chicken stock and season with salt and pepper.

Place chicken breast skin side down and remove the tenders from both breasts. Place the tenders between the two breasts where there is less meat. Cover the top of the meat with an even layer of stuffing. Roll up the chicken breasts and ties with butcher's twine. Season with salt and pepper and rub the outside of the breasts with butter.

Place chicken breast in hot oven and cook until the skin is golden browns, about 10 minuets. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to cook until the meat reads 165 to 170 degrees, which should take about 20 more minutes.

Allow chicken to rest for a few minutes. Slice and serve. This recipe also tastes great served at room temperature, which also makes it a nice item for a buffet or picnic.