It all started with a partial package of cream cheese. Luckily I happened to have some other delicious ingredients like prosciutto hanging around, and this skillet dinner came about! Most of our dinners, and a good part of the recipes that make it to the blog, start with a little something leftover I have on hand.
In this case it happened to be cream cheese, with that I added some herbs fresh from the garden, and used it to stuff the chicken with some fontina. Then the chicken is wrapped in prosciutto and roasted with a strawberry lemon glaze and a side of asparagus. This recipe is awesome for at home date nights and entertaining because it has a great presentation factor. No one needs to know it’s actually really easy to make!
I’m a little obsessed with asparagus, and so I tend to include it in as many meals as possible for it’s short season. For tips about how to remove the woody ends from asparagus, check out my recipe for Lemon Chicken and Asparagus Sheet Pan Dinner.
I used a mix of chives and basil, but simply chives are great, as well as tarragon.
Then the chopped fresh herbs are mashed into the cream cheese along with some lemon zest for brightness.
To stuff chicken breasts, cut them in half down the middle but not cutting all the way through. When you open up the cut chicken it will create a heart shape. Divide the cream cheese evenly along with the fontina on one side of the cut chicken, then fold it back together and wrap with the prosciutto. There’s no need to hold the chicken together with toothpicks because the prosciutto keeps everything wrapped up perfectly.
For the strawberry lemon glaze, I like to use a 100% fruit jam without added sugar. The I just mixed in a little fresh lemon juice, and poured it over the partially roasted chicken, (see photo below).
The chicken gets partially roasted before you place the asparagus in and around the skillet.
Then the strawberry glaze is poured over, and it’s baked into perfection. All that’s needed is a little something to sop up that savory sauce.
This skillet dinner stands on it’s own, but if you want to add a little something extra, both risotto and polenta are the perfect partners!
PrintStrawberry Glazed Prosciutto Wrapped Stuffed Chicken and Asparagus
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened, 1/2 a regular sized package
- 1 Teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/2 Teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon black pepper
- 4 slices fontina cheese, 3-4 ounces
- 8 thin slices prosciutto, 4 ounces
- 1 bunch of asparagus, about 2 pounds, see notes
Strawberry Glaze:
- 1/4 cup strawberry jam, fruit juice sweetened
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Butterfly the chicken breasts by placing them on a cutting board. Then place one hand on the top of the chicken breast. Using a very sharp knife, carefully cut through the middle like you would slice a bagel. Be careful not to cut all the way through, you want to leave a seam on the other side. Open the chicken breast into a butterfly or vague heart shape. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and set them aside.
- To make the cream cheese mixture, place the cream cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, chives, basil, sea salt, and black pepper into a mixing bowl. Mash the ingredients together until they’re completely mixed together. Divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between the chicken breasts. Spread the cream cheese on one side of the butterflied chicken. Then top the cream cheese with 1 slice of fontina each, and fold the chicken breasts back together. Next wrap 2 slices of prosciutto around each chicken breast.
- Add the olive oil to a large, (6.5 quart) oven proof skillet and make sure all the surfaces are coated before adding the prepared chicken.
- Roast the chicken in the oven for 10 minutes to partially cook the chicken.
- While the chicken is roasting prepare the asparagus by removing the woody ends. Make the strawberry glaze by mixing the jam and lemon juice together.
- When the chicken has cooked for 10 minutes, remove it from the oven, and carefully place the asparagus in and around the skillet. Then pour the strawberry glaze over the top and return the pan to the oven to finish cooking. Continue to roast the chicken along with the asparagus until the chicken is completely done in the middle, another 10-15 minutes.
Notes
Most store bought asparagus has woody ends, so a 2 pound bunch usually yields no more than 1 1/2 pounds which is perfect for this recipe.
The asparagus I used for this recipe was on the large side, so it took a full 10 minutes to cook, but if you have really thin spears they will cook in less time.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
mmmmm strawberries and how amazing to have them in this way.. Such simple way to make an incredible meal.
Thanks so much, it’s been a real hit around here!
This is incentive for me to get my herb garden growing again! Recipes that call for a little of this and a little of that always make me miss mine.
I love having an herb garden for just that reason, but until you get yours back, you can always make this with just a single herb – it will still be delicious!
Oh, my mouth is watering!! I can’t wait to try this – I love pairing chicken with cured meats like prosciutto <3
Me too, it just adds so much flavor!
Oooh yum, this would make a gorgeous meal! Just pinned this one for later!
I hope you get to enjoy it sometime, it’s my new go-to for entertaining!
This sounds incredible especially the sauce! Definitely worth pursuing this…
It’s pretty delicious, so I hope you get a chance to try it out sometime! 🙂