Golden Bloom Chicken

Ingredients

4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and ground black pepper
48 green beans or enough to fill your chicken bundles
2 large red bell peppers, cut into about 30 strips the size of the green beans
2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup of chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup cream

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Budget tip from Rach: Halve the chicken breasts horizontally separating each into 2 cutlets. (Some markets sell “thin cut” chicken for a premium price but with a sharp knife, cutting the chicken breast yourself is easy, so why not save yourself some money!) Place each halved cutlet in an individual freezer plastic storage bag with a slider tab. Add a tablespoon of water to each baggie and pound them into thin cutlets. The baggies can now be stacked and frozen for future use. Each portion will thaw in minutes and ready to use for dinner any night of the week. Plus, by halving and pounding out the breast meat, you’re stretching your dollar and the meat to provide twice as many portions.

For this recipe, arrange 4 cutlets pounded to 1/8 of an inch thick on work surface. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper on one side then lay about 6 or 7 green beans and 4 or 5 red pepper strips in the center, with the ends sticking out. Fold the bottom half of the chicken up around the bundle then roll the two ends around so it looks like a little package with green beans and red pepper sticking out. Season the outside of the chicken with salt and ground black pepper.

In a large, nonstick skillet with two turns of the pan of EVOO over medium-high heat, cook the stuffed cutlets seam side-down. Cook about 7-8 minutes, then turn to brown the other side. Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and reserve.

To the pan, add the saffron and ginger then pour in the chicken stock and bring up to a bubble. Stir in the cream and heat through.

Serve the chicken blooms topped with some of the cream sauce and Brown Rice Pilaf alongside.