Gorgonzola-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Strawberry Gastrique

Gastrique is the French term for a thick, syrupy reduction sauce made from sugar, vinegar, and, often, fruit. Chicken broth balances its sweet-tart flavor. We loved the pungent Gorgonzola cheese here, but you might substitute your favorite blue cheese.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and about 2 tablespoons sauce)

Ingredients

• Sauce:
• 1  cup  chopped strawberries
• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 1/2  cup  sherry vinegar
• 1/3  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground coriander
• 
  Chicken:
• 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 2  teaspoons  fresh thyme leaves
• 2  ounces  prosciutto, chopped
• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• Cooking spray
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. To prepare sauce, place strawberries in a small, heavy saucepan; partially mash with a fork. Stir in sugar, vinegar, broth, and coriander; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 2/3 cup (about 30 minutes), stirring occasionally. Strain mixture through a sieve over a bowl; discard solids.

2. To prepare chicken, combine cheese, thyme, and prosciutto in a bowl. Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket; spoon 3 tablespoons cheese mixture into each pocket.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides of chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 4 minutes or until done. Serve with sauce.

Wine note: If you haven't tasted Soave in awhile, it's time to get reacquainted with this northern Italian white. Quality examples like Inama Vin Soave 2006 ($15) have the body to handle fish or white meats, like the preceding chicken dish. Soave's generous acidity can match the vinegary gastrique, while the herbal and citrus nuances lift the coriander. —Jeffery Lindenmuth

Nutritional Information

Calories:

340

Fat:

10.6g (sat 4g,mono 3.4g,poly 1.8g)

Protein:

32.5g

Carbohydrate:

27.9g

Fiber:

1g

Cholesterol:

92mg

Iron:

1.4mg

Sodium:

479mg

Calcium:

60mg