A Month-of-Chicken: Mae West Stuffed Breasts

Some of you more, mmmm, well-endowed ladies may not want to cook and/or eat today’s recipe. After all, when it comes to chicken, I believe you should eat for the part you need. Who needs wings???

So, if you don’t need more breast meat on yourself, I’m fine with you not trying this one out. But if you don’t try it, you’re gonna miss a taste treat.

For this recipe, you start with what I call Mae West Breasts. You know, those enormous over-sized pieces in your meat section that makes you wonder how any chicken with THOSE breasts could have stayed upright. Yeah, those pieces. Buy some.

Oh, and make my Beer Bread recipe from this site (last February) and put a couple of pieces out to dry. But if you don’t have the fantabulous Beer Bread, use other stale bread or mash up some leftover croutons.

Mae West Stuffed Chicken Breasts (serves 4-8, depending on appetite)

4 Mae West breasts, boneless, skinless

¼ c celery, finely diced

¼ c onion, finely diced

¼ c mushrooms, finely diced

¼ c tart apple, finely diced

1 t tarragon

¼ c butter

1 slab of Beer Bread, stale and crumbled (or ½ c crushed croutons)

4 chunks blue cheese

Preheat oven to 350º. Pam a baking dish large enough to hold the chicken without touching.

Cut a pocket in the middle of the chicken breasts. Sauté celery and onion in butter until onion is translucent. Add mushrooms, apples, and tarragon. Cook one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Mix in crumbled bread and coat crumbs with the veggie/fruit mixture. Divide into four equal parts and stuff into chicken pocket.

Tuck in a chunk of blue cheese way back. Stick a toothpick or two through the open end to hold together. (Note--if you have leftover stuffing mixtures bake in a small foil pouch and use with chicken later.)

Bake uncovered for 1½ hours or until juices run clear when pierced.

Serve with rice or noodles. Drizzle drippings from the pan over the carb-du-jour.

DH’s rating: 4 Tongues Up for taste; 1 Tongue Up for portion size. DH is really into portion control and couldn’t believe I bought enough chicken for this recipe to feed a small village. But he really liked it!  The blue cheese surprised and delighted his tongue.