Fresh Recipe: Roasted Mushroom-Filled Chicken Packets

Since we came home from our trip to the Old Edwards Inn & Spa, I’ve been thinking about how to replicate the chicken I had at Madison’s restaurant.  (By the way, OEI posted my review on their recent reviews page!  How cool.)  After some consideration, I decided that I would make a chicken dish, but I would feature our own local ingredients in the dish.  In a nod to Madison’s chicken, I would also use mushrooms in my Farm-to-Table recipe.

About my local inputs:

Shiitake from Clover Mushroom Farm

• The chicken breast that I’m featuring in my photos (below) was raised by Harriett and Milton Baucom of Baucom’s Best.  (More about their grass-fed beef later.)  Baucom’s Best just started bringing premium pasture-raised chicken and special vegetable-feed raised chicken to market in late April/early May, and they have been a big hit.
• The shiitake mushrooms were raised by Rijad Jacic of Clover Mushroom Farm (He raises shiitake and oyster mushrooms here in Charlotte.)
• The goat cheese is by Michele Lamb from Bosky Acres.
• The pearl onion and swiss chard are from my CSA membership at Poplar Ridge Farm
• Herbs are from plants in my garden grown from Mary’s seedlings from Windcrest Farms.

If I can do it, so can you…head out to your local farmers’ market on Saturday (or during the week for some!), and see what you can find to cook!

Farm-to-Table Recipe: Roasted Mushroom-Filled Chicken Packets

Roasted Mushroom-Filled Chicken

This dish is slightly messy to assemble, and doesn’t photograph all that well, but it really does taste good.  Hubby gave the meal the double-thumbs-up, even after photographing me rolling up all that chicken.  Depending on appetites, serves 2-4.

• 1 large chicken breast, cut into two half breasts.  Carefully cut each half-breast in half again (flatways), winding up with 4 flat pieces that you can pound flat.
• 1/2 lb. shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, chopped finely or processed in a food processor
• 1 pearl or small onion, chopped
• 8 parsley leaves, chopped + more for garnish
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 oz. goat cheese
• 1 bunch swiss chard, stems removed
• 4 Tbs olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/8 C champagne or white wine, or juice from 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Finely chop or process the mushrooms and onion together, making a paste.  Be careful not to overprocess.  Add in parsley and thyme and mix.  Cook this mixture in a pan about 1-2 minutes (add a little butter or oil if it sticks), then let cool.  Add the goat cheese and mix.

Mushroom paste before cooking

Saute the chard in 2 Tbs olive oil, adding salt and pepper to taste.  To wilt the chard, add the champagne or whatever liquid you wish.  Cook for about 2 minutes or until wilted.  Drain the liquid from the chard.

Wilting the swiss chard with champagne

Pound the chicken flat.  Place a piece of chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or inside a plastic zipper bag and pound with a kitchen mallet until about 1/4 inch thick.  Be careful not to tear holes in the chicken.  Repeat for all 4 pieces.

Assembly:  Take a piece of chicken and place a scoop (maybe 2 Tbs) of mushroom mixture in the center. Top with a piece of chard.  Pull the sides of the chicken up together and secure with two toothpicks.  If you have too much filling, it might squirt out the ends. Repeat for all 4 pieces.

Assembling the chicken packets

Using an oven-proof skillet, brown the chicken packets in 2 Tbs olive oil, making sure to brown on both sides.  When the chicken starts to turn brown and is cooked halfway through, pop the skillet into the 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes to finish the chicken off.

The roasted chicken packets

Remove toothpicks before serving.  Serve additional wilted chard on the side.