Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Asparagus and Parmesan Rice

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Description

Asparagus, ham, and cheese are stuffed into chicken breasts and served on top of cheesy tomatoes and rice.

Ingredients

  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
  • 1 cup chopped fresh asparagus
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 slices deli ham
  • ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup uncooked white rice
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with onion and celery, drained
  • ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of heavy plastic (resealable freezer bags work well) on a solid
  3. level surface. Firmly pound the chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
  4. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat
  5. and cook and stir the asparagus
  6. garlic powder
  7. salt
  8. and black pepper just until the asparagus is bright green and beginning to become tender
  9. about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  10. Lay each chicken breast out onto a work surface
  11. and place a slice of ham on the flattened breast. Place 1/4 of the asparagus mixture over the ham
  12. and top with 1/4 of the Cheddar cheese. Roll the chicken breast around the filling and secure with toothpicks or tie with cotton kitchen string; place the stuffed breasts into a 9×13-inch baking dish
  13. seam sides down. Top each breast with about 1/2 tablespoon of butter.
  14. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear
  15. 30 to 40 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a stuffed breast should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Baste the stuffed chicken breasts occasionally with pan juices while baking.
  16. While chicken is baking
  17. bring chicken broth and 1 tablespoon of butter to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in rice and tomatoes
  18. reduce heat to a simmer
  19. cover
  20. and cook the rice until tender and the broth has been absorbed
  21. about 20 minutes. Remove from heat
  22. and let rice stand covered for about 5 minutes; stir in Parmesan cheese. Serve stuffed chicken breasts on the cooked rice.

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Total Time: 1 hr

Servings: 4

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