Italian Sausage Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Yield: 6 servings
Cook Time: About 25 minutes
Tips: Stuffed chicken may be served alone, or with Marsala Sauce (recipe included) or prepared or homemade pasta sauce or marinara sauce.
The way I see it, there can never be enough stuffed chicken breast recipes, and this stuffed chicken breast recipe continues the celebration of chicken breasts with a fabulous Italian sausage stuffing and an elegant and delicious creamy Marsala sauce!
The sausage stuffing for this chicken recipe features a mixture of Italian sausage (turkey sausage, chicken sausage or pork sausage can be used) and a fabulous combination of fresh and flavorful ingredients. Before combining the ingredients for the sausage stuffing, some diced onions and sliced mushrooms are sautéed until tender.
The sautéed onions and mushrooms are then combined with some Italian sausage (squeezed out of their casings), Italian seasoned bread crumbs, garlic, fresh chopped basil, chopped frozen spinach (thawed), sliced green onions and Parmesan cheese, and of course, a little salt and pepper. Before stuffing the chicken breasts, the breasts are gently pounded down a little with a meat pounder to tenderize them and thin the meat out a little, which will help it wrap around the sausage stuffing. The breasts are then stuffed with the sausage mixture and dredged with some seasoned flour. They're then briefly fried in a small amount of oil skillet until they turn a beautiful golden brown color. The stuffed chicken breasts are then transferred to a baking pan and baked in the oven for 15 minutes to complete the cooking process. While the stuffed chicken breasts are cooking, an elegant and easy creamy Marsala Sauce that perfectly compliments the stuffed breasts is whipped up on the stove. (Note: If you're not a huge mushroom fan, you can simply serve these sausage stuffed chicken breasts without any sauce, or top them with some prepared or homemade pasta sauce or marinara sauce.
The sausage stuffing for this chicken recipe features a mixture of Italian sausage (turkey sausage, chicken sausage or pork sausage can be used) and a fabulous combination of fresh and flavorful ingredients. Before combining the ingredients for the sausage stuffing, some diced onions and sliced mushrooms are sautéed until tender.
Recipe▼
Ingredients
- Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup Marsala wine (sweet or dry)
- 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 8 oz. mild Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup light olive oil
- Marsala Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 8-10 oz. package white mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup Marsala wine (sweet or dry)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Directions
Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Preheat oven to 350°F. Gently pound down chicken breasts with a meat pounder to about 1/2 of an inch thickness. Slice into the side of each chicken breast to create a pocket, being careful to not cut all the way through.
Sauté garlic and mushrooms in the 1 tablespoon of olive oil until tender (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally to ensure both sides of mushrooms are cooked. Add wine and simmer over low heat until mushrooms have absorbed the wine (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
To a large mixing bowl, add cooled mushrooms and onions, bread crumbs, spinach, green onions, basil, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Stir briefly to combine, then add sausage and mix (preferably with your hands) until all ingredients are incorporated. (Note: If preferred, disposable gloves can be used to keep hands clean.
Open the chicken breast pockets and fill equally with the sausage stuffing. Dredge chicken breasts in seasoned flour and sauté in the 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium heat until lightly browned, turning gently to brown both sides (about 5 minutes per side). Transfer chicken breasts to a baking dish and finish cooking in the oven for 15 minutes, or until chicken is firm to the touch and/or has an internal temperature of 160°F.
Serve alone or topped with Marsala Sauce (recipe follows), bottled pasta sauce or marinara sauce.
Marsala Sauce
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, saute onions until tender. Add mushrooms and garlic and sauté for additional 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms are moistened and cooked but still plump.
Sprinkle in flour, then stir to thoroughly combine and sauté for about 1 minute. Stir in Marsala wine, chicken broth and heavy cream and cook over medium heat at a low boil until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Stir in parsley and drizzle over individual servings or serve on the side in a gravy bowl for guests to serve themselves.
