Chicken stuffed with grapes, hazelnuts, and parm

I have an absolute LOVE for white meat and fruit combined.  Add in nuts and cheese, and I’m sold!  When I saw this recipe for chicken breasts stuffed with grapes, hazelnuts, and parmesan, I knew I was making this… and soon!

I even faced my fears of raw chicken and voraciously cut a pocket in the thick chicken breasts and stuffed all the goodies in.

They suggested the chicken be held together with toothpicks.  I was a bit concerned they’d catch on fire, but they made it through without incident.

We also wilted some spinach with garlic, onions, and mushrooms.  So easy and so delicious!

I decided to top the chicken with some more of the stuffing (since it was a bit more than I could fit inside).  This wound up being one of my favorite parts. It browned nicely and gave it just a little more crunch.

The dishes complimented each other nicely.

This was a great, easy recipe and I recommend it wholeheartedly. 

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RECIPE
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Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Grapes, Hazelnuts, and Parmesan

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 medium bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (we went boneless due to availability and skinless to be healthier)
• 1/2 cup whole hazelnuts, skins removed (if necessary), toasted, and roughly chopped (I just used chopped ones out of the bag)
• 1/2 cup chopped, purple grapes
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and divided
• more salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine the hazelnuts, grapes, parmesan, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add one tablespoon of softened butter and pinch with your fingers to combine the ingredients.
3. Pat chicken breasts dry, and make a deep slit along the meatiest side, cutting far into the breast to create a pocket (but not slicing all the way through).
4. Stuff small handfuls of the grape and nut mixture into the pockets, dividing it between the breasts. You should have enough stuffing for four small breasts or three medium to large ones.
5. Stick two or three toothpicks through the open edges of the chicken to keep the stuffing from falling out.
6. Loosen the skin on each chicken breast, and use your fingers to push small bits of the remaining butter under the skin of each one.  (we went skinless and skipped this step and rather topped the breast with the extra stuffing, which was EXCELLENT since it got a little browned and crunchy)
7. Sprinkle the chicken breasts liberally with salt and pepper.
8. Place on a foil or parchment paper-lined, rimmed baking sheet.
9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the skin is brown and crispy.
10. Remove toothpicks before serving.

Tags: chicken stuffed with grapes hazlenuts and parmesan, recipes, spinach, Stuffed chicken breast