Eat, drink, eat: Bing Brie Stuffed Chicken

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/01/2012 (5080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The first half of January has been very gentle; but, like the calm before the storm, I cautiously enjoyed the balmy, single-digit temps with great trepidation. This past week was exactly what I feared. It’s funny how the initial blast of really cold weather feels like minus one-million degrees. Even though we have lived through it year-after-year, the first January freeze-up seems even more punishing than years previous.

Naturally, I find solace from cold weather in food, and when the temperatures get very grave: Scotch. Classically, this weather is perfect for stews and soups, roasted dishes and casseroles. The thought of a warm pot bubbling away is climate salvation. Winds and deep-cold weather always seem to push shoulders up. I find mine are connected to my ears now; a reflex designed to keep the cold from sneaking past your neck and down into the core. It takes a serious dish of richly flavoured, hot delicious goodness to release them down.

While braving a terribly cold wind one day, I tried to distract my frozen self by focusing my thoughts on culinary fantasies. The piercing wind that relentlessly attacked my exposed cheeks and eyelids became an innovative and unlikely source of creativity. Posing a question to myself I created this week’s recipe. What is the complete food opposite of a nasty wind that sneaks past a scarf, three sweaters, a turtleneck and heavy canvas coat? Contemplating this, I smiled through my frosted scarf, my brain spinning with all the options that would best define the polar antidote. What vision of food makes you feel instantly warmer, even when you are dressed up to the dimensions of a frigid Michelin man?

Soup and stew easily rise to the forefront of any discussion of cold weather sustenance. But my foodie imagination wanted something more than just a one-pot-wonder; I wanted cold-weather-food flair! I wanted a quick and easy dish that warmed all my senses, released my shoulders, and brought life back into my extremities.

Juicy and plump, protected by a perfectly crisp golden brown skin, the culinary mirage lightened my step as I trudged through the snow. Picturing it hot from the oven, slowly spilling the most decadent filling of creamy brie and sweet bing cherries; that got my blood flowing deep into my icy toes. Succulent, rich, and oh-so-savoury, my subconscious created an image of salvation that seemed to be the perfect answer to the day’s punishing weather.

Naturally, I didn’t want to spend a lot of time preparing so I kept my ingredients simple and to a minimum. This also helps to keep the flavours pure and true. I bought skin-on chicken breasts to keep them juicy and add some texture and richness by simply frying the skin. It adds crunch to the dish but even better, is the caramelized richness it adds to the quick pan sauce. I also purchased back-attached breasts, so I could make two dishes out of one purchase. Putting all my trimmings and bones into a pot with onions, carrots, celery, and herbs, I made a rich and soulful chicken stock. Another polar antidote that will come in useful as this winter surely blasts us with more Manitoba winter weather.

Bing Brie Stuffed Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts, skin-on (try to purchase bigger breasts, it will make stuffing them much easier, and they will hold more stuffing … a win-win situaiton)

• 1 can pitted Bing cherries in syrup, reserve the liquid

• 1/3 of a small wheel of Brie cheese

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• Kosher salt for sprinkling

• Freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Quick pan sauce:

• 1 small onion minced fine

• 1 small clove of garlic, peeled

• Freshly cracked pepper, to taste

• Reserved cherry liquid

• Remaining Bing cherries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Cut 1⁄3 of the can of cherries into quarters or halves.

Cut four 1⁄2-inch thick rectangles of brie about 2 inches long. Keep the cheese cool.

Prep the chicken breasts by using a filleting or long, thin-bladed knife to create the pocket for the stuffing. Place the breast, skin-side up, on the cutting board. Insert the knife into the middle of the thickest part of the breast and carefully cut parallel to the cutting board into the breast. Create a pocket by running the blade into the breast about three-quarters of the length of the breast. Try to keep the pocket entirely enclosed by cutting very carefully and slowly.

Repeat on all the breasts then just check each pocket with your finger to ensure you will fit the cheese and some cherries inside. If the pocket is too small make it a bit larger or reduce the amount of stuffing.

Place the cheese rectangle inside the chicken and gently push some cherries into the pocket as well. Try to use the cherries to seal in the cheese, this will help to keep it all from melting out once it is cooked.

Heat a large heavy cast or oven-safe skillet with 2 Tbsp of olive oil on med-high heat. Blot the chicken breasts with a paper towel ensuring the skin is dry. Rub or generously sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper. Place skin side down into the hot skillet and fry for about 3 minutes or until a beautiful golden color. Do not crowd the breasts, they will need one inch of clearance to fry properly, too close together and they will just steam and not caramelize.

Once the golden color is achieved, flip the breasts and place the entire skillet in the preheated oven, and reduce the temperature to 325 F. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is done.

When the chicken is just done, (don’t over-cook it, a juicy end product is what is desired) remove chicken to a plate and keep warm. Place the skillet with the drippings onto medium heat and add butter. Once hot, add onions and garlic sautee for 2 mins until just softened. Add cherry juice and remaining cherries to glaze the pan and simmer until reduced by one-third. Taste and season with a bit of cracked pepper.

Pour the pan sauce over the hot chicken breasts and serve up a culinary fantasy that will surely awaken all frozen extremities.