Cheddar-Chutney Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Cran-Apple Wild Rice

Ingredients

For the Wild Rice:
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries
4 tablespoons butter
2 small ribs celery, chopped
1 Honeycrisp apple, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons thyme, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup wild rice

1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup water
4 scallions, whites and greens, thinly sliced on an angle
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
For the Chicken:
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 cup prepared or homemade chutney of choice
1 cup grated or sliced extra-sharp white cheddar
2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For the Gravy:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
Black pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons grainy mustard
3 tablespoons dark amber maple syrup

Yields: 4

Preparation

Prepare the wild rice: Toast pecans until fragrant in a small pan over medium heat. Chop and reserve.

Bring a small pot or kettle of water to a boil. Place cranberries into a small bowl and cover with boiling water to reconstitute. Let stand until softened then drain and chop.

In a medium saucepot, melt butter over medium heat and add the celery, apple, onion, thyme, salt and pepper. Sauté to soften, 7-8 minutes. Add rice and toast a minute or two; add stock and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. Uncover and cook 15 minutes more until tender and fluffy. Drain and add chopped cranberries, scallions, parsley and reserved pecans. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butterfly chicken breasts open by cutting through the breasts lengthwise to open the breasts like a book. Season the chicken with salt, pepper and thyme. Fill the chicken breasts with chutney and cheese. Close the chicken breasts back over to cover the filling.

Heat a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Brown stuffed chicken on both sides and transfer to oven to finish cooking through, 15-20 minutes. Remove chicken to plate and cover with foil.

For the gravy, melt butter in the skillet and whisk in flour. Cook 1 minute then add stock and season with black pepper and whisk in Worcestershire, Dijon and maple syrup. Let thicken to coat spoon and adjust seasoning.

Serve chicken topped with gravy, with wild rice alongside.