Garlicky Mushroom Stuffed Chicken in White Wine

After a long day of work, my first order of business is to open up the fridge, raise an eyebrow, and get inspired.  I throw on an apron and never look back.  This is what happened tonight...

Here's what you'll need:

Chicken breast tenders -  about 2 lb
Grated Parmesan cheese - 3 tbs
Fresh mozzarella cheese - 4 oz. ball
Panko bread crumbs - 1/2 cup
Minced garlic - 2 large cloves
Butter or margarine - 3 tbs
Chopped  mushrooms - 1/4 cup
Extra virgin olive oil - 2 tbs
Cheap white wine - 1/4 cup

A few words on ingredients:

Ingredient amounts are approximate.  You can't really over-stuff this chicken.  If you do, the worst that will happen is that yummy goodness will melt out of the chicken and make for a more delicious sauce. 

Chicken: You can use full boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you'll need to pound them out to be very thin, or you'll need to drastically increase cooking time (don't just increase oven temp, unless you like dry chicken). 

Mozzarella cheese: You can use processed mozzarella instead of the fresh ball, but it will not be as luscious.

Mushrooms:  Most any type of mushroom will be delicious.  Button mushrooms happened to be in my fridge!

Panko bread crumbs:  Any type of bread crumb will do, but panko has a fabulous crispy quality that you just do not find in run of the mill, Italian-style bread crumbs.

Cheap white wine:  For the love of all that is holy, don't ever use expensive wine in your cooking!  Good wine is for drinking, my friends.  Any cheap wine will taste great in this dish.  P.S. If you're not into alcohol, you can always use chicken stock.

Enough about ingredients, here's how to make it. 



1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Pound out chicken to about half its thickness (this part can be really fun after a long day)

3. Combine panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese into a bowl.  Coat chicken strips in mixture.
4. In the center of chicken strip, add 1/2 tsp butter, a pinch of garlic, a tbs chopped mushrooms, and a slice   of mozzarella. 
5. Fold each chicken strip in at the sides and spear through with toothpick. 
6. Repeat until all chicken is wrapped.
7. In a baking pan, add olive oil, wine, and  any remaining mushrooms and garlic.  Line up chicken rolls so they are evenly spaced.
8. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked throughout.
9. Let cool for a few minutes.  Remove toothpicks and serve with pan juices. 

Great sides include steamed corn and fresh bread for sauce dipping.

I welcome all comments, suggestions, fans, and critics with an open apron.

Cheers,

Emily