My good friend Ashley and I had a blast on Tuesday night at the annual Taste of Home Cooking Show. It was held at a local college chapel, and we spent $11 and got a girls night out, a free demo of 12 recipes, and a reusable bag full of coupons and kitchen gadgets. The only downside of the evening was the 2,357 prizes they gave away, and despite there only being about 200 people at the show, somehow neither Ashley nor I won ANYTHING! We were both losers! But, we had a good time anyway, and I guess it will teach us to arrive earlier next year!
Tonight I decided to try the Chicken Parmesan Bundles (which are on page 38 of the Taste of Home Cooking School magazine in which we recieved in our goody bags). Although mine were not nearly as pretty as their picture, they ended up turning out pretty tasty! Here’s the recipe, modified as I made it, if you’d like to try it:
Chicken Parmesan Bundles
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix 4 oz of softened Philadelphia Cream Cheese, 10 oz chopped spinach, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and 3 Tbsp of grated Parmesan Cheese in a blender until it has the consistency of paste.
2. Spread the paste onto 6 bonless skinless chicken breasts that have been pounded to 1/4 inch thickness. (I only used 4 breasts, and had TONS of the paste left over….probably could have even halved the recipe for 4 breasts).
3. Starting at the short end, roll up each chicken breast tightly and secure with wooden toothpicks.
4. Beat 1 egg in a separate bowl. Mix another 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese with 1/2 cup of crushed butter-flavored crackers (about 10) in yet another separate bowl.
5. Dip the chicken rolls in the egg bowl, covering thoroughly, and then coat with the cracker/cheese mixture. Place seam-side down in a 13X9 inch baking pan, sprayed with Pam.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Remember to remove toothpicks before eating! Top cooked chicken with a drizzle of marinara sauce (you will need 1/2-1 cup total) and another 1/4 cup mozzarella (divided amongst tops of all the chicken).
7. Like I said before, I ended up stuffing my chicken breasts too much, and they ended up kind of exploding with cheesy goodness. Not pretty to look at, but so yummy! Here’s a picture of them right out of the oven, before I had a chance to top with the marinara or extra cheese. Enjoy!
