Italy Comes to Your Kitchen – Chicken Capri
Over the years a lot of people have tried to reduce the amount of red meat they consume, and we are among that group. Now we eat a lot of chicken, which sometimes can get boring, so I’m always looking for more interesting ways to prepare chicken. A few years ago I looked into the South Beach Diet®, which works if you really follow it carefully. I haven’t in a while, but I did find some recipes that I really liked and continue to use; Chicken Capri is one of them. It is easy enough for everyday meals, but looks and tastes special enough for guests.
As always, I made a few adjustments to the original recipe, so here is my version.
Chicken Capri
Ingredients:
Browned chicken breasts
- 1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder (you can use more to taste)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup grape tomatoes (cut into quarters), or use canned crushed tomatoes
- shredded or sliced mozzarella cheese
Steps:
- Put the chicken breasts between two pieces of parchment paper, or wax paper, and pound them down until they are all the same thickness, (chicken breasts can be very thick; this recipe works better if the chicken is thinner, so either pound them or butterfly them for maximum flavor).
Add ricotta mixture, tomatoes, and mozzarella
- Rub both sides of the chicken with the garlic powder.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook for 10-12 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the breasts.
- Place the chicken breasts, side by side, in a large baking dish and allow to cool.
- In a food processor (or use a bowl and whip the ingredients), combine the ricotta with the oregano, salt, and pepper, and blend well.
- When the chicken has cooled a bit, spoon 1/4 cup of the ricotta cheese mixture onto each breast.
- Top the cheese mixture with the tomatoes.
- Then add the slice of mozzarella cheese (or about 1/4 shredded mozzarella), on the top of each breast.
- Bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of a breast registers 170°.
Mmmmmm…a taste of Italy!
I like to serve this dish with a salad and pesto pasta, or a risotto.
Enjoy!
Dugan's Kitchen 