Stuffed Cuisine and Scrumptious

Cajun spiced pan-seared chicken breasts, stuffed with oven-dried tomato and mozzarella cheese, on a bed of lentil mash and pan jus. Serves 4

Ingredients:

Lentil & potato mash
1cup red lentils
6 medium-sized potatoes
½ cup cooking cream
2 cups milk
1tsp Cajun spices
4 cloves of crushed garlic
2tbsp butter
Salt and pepper

Chicken
8 whole boneless, skinned chicken breasts
150gm mozzarella grated cheese
16 spinach leaves (long)
½tbsp Cajun spices
1 shallot, finely chopped
Olive/cooking oil

Pan jus
Flour
White wine
Chicken stock

As accompaniment
Boiled vegetables of your choice

Preparation:

Lentil & potato mash
• Place potatoes and lentil with milk in a pressure cooker.
• Add milk and bring to a boil.
• Remove it from the fire and mash with butter, cream and Cajun spices.
• Season with salt and pepper.

Chicken
• Pre-heat the sauté pan to a medium temperature.
• Cut the chicken breasts in two, lengthwise. Wrap the breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them till they are 1/4” thick. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spread the blanched spinach leaves, layered with tomato slices on the chicken.
• In a small bowl, combine mozzarella cheese, Cajun spices, and crushed garlic. Combine well.
• Spread about two tablespoons of the mixture on the tomato slices spread over the chicken.
• Now, roll up both the chicken breasts tightly. Secure them in place with toothpicks.
• Smear the chicken well with olive/ cooking oil. Sauté in the pre-heated pan for about 10-15 minutes, brushing occasionally with oil.
• Let it become brown and cooked throughout before taking it off the fire and letting it rest for a while.

Pan jus
• Remove the sauté pan from the oven, but do not throw away the sauce from the cooked chicken.
• Place the pan on a medium-lit stove and add flour and white wine while stirring it continuously.
• Next, add chicken stock and continue stirring the mixture. Let it simmer till it reaches the consistency you desire.
• Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the chicken immediately on the bed of lentil mash, and garnished with pan jus. Complete the platter with boiled vegetables.