Chicken breasts are lean, so they tend to be bland and dry out easily on the grill. Today I’m going to show you how to grill stuffed chicken breasts, which turns a boring, bland chicken breast into a flavorful grilled meal. The nice thing about chicken breasts is even though they are pretty bland and boring, there is so much you can do to make them great.
Chicken breasts are really popular to do on the grill, but so many people just throw them on as is, and it turns out dry and flavorless. With stuffing a chicken breast there are endless flavor combinations you could try out. You can fill them with basically anything you want.
You can stuff them with stuffing, how about cheesy hash browns, mozzarella or other cheeses, prosciutto, sausage, fresh herbs, sauerkraut, or whatever. See, the options are endless. You can make some really tasty stuffed chicken breasts, just use your imagination.
So, let’s get on to grilling the stuffed chicken breasts. First off you are going to need a couple boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can use fresh or frozen. It is always preferable to use fresh, but frozen works as well. If you are using frozen chicken, thaw them out. Next we are going to slice a pocket in them.
Place the chicken breast on the cutting board with the thicker edge facing out. I use a nonporous, odor resistant cutting board when cutting up chicken. Place your free hand on the top of it and hold it flat while you slice into it parallel to the cutting board. You can make as many cuts as you need to in order to form the pocket, just don’t slice all the way through the other side. Now that you have the pockets cut into the chicken breasts, it is time to stuff them.
Now here is where you use your imagination. Stuff them with whatever you want. For my example I’m going to stuff mine with some fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and sundried tomatoes. So, I’m going to place in each pocket a bit of sundried tomato, a leaf or two of basil, and a slice of mozzarella. Once it has been stuffed to my liking, I seal the pocket by pinning it with a toothpick.
Next a like to marinate them in a bit of olive oil and lemon juice. I put the stuffed chicken breasts into a baking dish, and drizzle a bit of olive oil over them and squeeze a bit of lemon juice on them. I usually use a square glass baking dish when I marinate a couple chicken breasts. This is the dish I use. At this point I’ll also season them with a bit of salt and pepper. I just marinate them while the grill is heating up. Make sure to turn the chicken a couple times in the marinade.
Set up your gas or charcoal grill for direct grilling over high heat. Once the grill is ready, oil the grate a bit. There is nothing worse than your food sticking to the grill. Place the stuffed chicken breasts on the grill. Cook for approximately 4 to 6 minutes per side, turning only once halfway through. You will be able to tell it is done by poking the thickest part of the breast with your finger, it should be firm.
Once done, transfer them to a platter and remove the toothpicks. You can serve them immediately. That is how to grill stuffed chicken breasts that turn out great. The nice thing is you can stuff them with about anything your heart desires. Play around with different combinations, you will love it.
image courtesy of Yortw/flickr