Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Apple and Bleu Cheese, Served with Duo of Wine Reductions
Zumo is a wine bar and restaurant in Guatemala City (click here for more about my eating adventures in Guatemala), with a young, eager Guatemalan chef named Rodrigo Alvarado at the helm. Rodrigo spent time working for the Mandarin Hotel in New York before returning to his homeland to open his own restaurant. His place has a gorgeous, Asian-inspired interior with a cozy lounge room and a festive patio. We drank a delicious Chilean wine, one of the chef’s favorites, with our meal. Everything we ate was inspired. The chicken dish I had was a prizewinner, literally.
Ingredients
- Four chicken breast
- 4 ounces crushed walnuts
- 1 ounce bread crumbs
- Salt and pepper to taste
Filling:
- 4 ounces green apples
- 2 ounces blue cheese
- 1 ounce cream cheese
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice
- 1 ounce bread crumbs
Red wine sauce (beurre rouge):
- 1 ounce shallot
- 1/3 ounce whole black peppercorns
- 2 ounces white wine
- 3 ounces heavy cream
- 4–6 ounces whole unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- One sprig of thyme
- Salt and black pepper to taste
White wine sauce (beurre blanc):
- 1 ounce shallot
- 1/3 ounce whole black peppercorns
- 2 ounces red wine
- 3 ounces heavy cream
- 4–6 ounces whole unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- One sprig of thyme
- Salt and white pepper to taste
Directions
Filling:
1. Peel the apple and dice small; put inside a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the cream cheese, blue cheese, lemon juice, and bread crumbs.
3. Mix well, add the cut apples, and set aside.
Sauces:
1. Cut the butter in medium dice. Cut the shallots in medium dice.
2. In a saucepot, add a little bit of butter and add the diced shallots, peppercorns, and thyme sprig. Let cook for thirty seconds.
3. Add the wine, and let reduce for five minutes or until the wine is au sec.
4. Add the cream and let it boil; once it has boiled, remove from heat and incorporate diced butter until mixture is smooth.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
Breading:
1. Crush the walnuts and mix with the breadcrumbs.
Chicken:
1. Butterfly chicken breasts, cover with plastic wrap, and flatten a little with a meat tenderizer.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Apply egg wash (One whole egg with 1 teaspoon milk) to the edges.
4. In the center, add a little of the cheese mix, then fold together and follow breading procedure (flour, then egg, then walnut mix).
5. Cook in a saucepan with clarified butter until golden-brown, and then place the chicken inside an oven at 350° F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165° F.
6. Remove from oven and let rest on a brown cutting board for about three minutes; slice and add the wine sauces. Serves four.
Photo courtesy of Patricia Kositzky
