Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Pesto Rosso, Arugula & Mozzarella Cheese

The provenance of this recipe was a simple stuffed chicken breast and it came from my husband’s wonderful and funny Aunt Rene. Rene loved to cook and sadly passed away a number of years ago.  I owe her a big one when I see her in heaven not just for this recipe but for introducing me to my fabulous husband - Rene, along with my friend Anne, fixed us up on a blind date and as they say…the rest is history. But I digress, so back to the recipe – one of the keys to this easy but quite impressive looking dish is to have everything organized and ready to go so you can easily assemble the chicken breasts.  Put the Pesto Rosso in a small bowl, the beaten egg in another one and have the flour and bread crumbs each on separate small plates. The arugula and mozzarella cheese should be prepped and ready at hand. To print a PDF of this recipe, click here.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded to ½” thin
½ tsp. salt
½ c. Manestrini Pesto Rosso (Sundried Tomato Pesto)
1 c. arugula, coarsely chopped
4 oz. fresh mozzarella cut into 4 lengthwise pieces
½ c. flour
1 egg, beaten
½ c. breadcrumbs
3 T. butter, melted
¾ c. white wine

Preheat oven to 375°.  Grease or spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Working with one chicken breast at a time, lay the chicken breast on a flat surface.  Lightly salt the chicken breast and spread 1-2 T (depending on the size of the breast) of Pesto Rosso on each breast. Spread ¼ c. of arugula and place the mozzarella on top of the arugula.  Starting at one end, roll the chicken breast up tightly and secure with a few toothpicks (don’t forget to take them out before serving).  Repeat with the other chicken breasts.

Working with one rolled up, toothpicked chicken breast at a time, roll it lightly in the flour, then dip it in the egg and then gently roll it in the breadcrumbs.  Lay seam side down in the baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken breasts.  Drizzle the melted butter over the breasts.  Bake for 20 minutes, then pour wine over breasts and bake another 20 minutes, basting the chicken often with the wine and juices.  Remove the chicken from the oven and let it sit 5-10 minutes.  Slice into 1 ½” pieces and serve with the sauce from the baking dish. Serves 4-6.

I like to serve this dish with rice made with Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil-just add a tablespoon or two of lemon olive oil (depending on how much rice you’re making) to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Amazing!