Pear Stuffed Chicken, Broccoli Salad and Mashed Butternut Squash

This chicken dish is one of my husband's favorites, particularly because of the cream sauce that goes along with it. I tried to balance out the rich chicken with the broccoli and butternut squash. These all go well together, or make them separately as part of your own dinner menu! 


It may look complicated, but was actually really easy to pull together with frozen broccoli, pre-cooked bacon and frozen butternut squash.

Pear Stuffed Chicken

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 slices provolone cheese, halved

1 Bosc pear, thinly sliced

1 shallot, sliced

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup white cooking wine

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

  

Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Lightly oil a baking pan lined with aluminum foil.

  

Using a sharp knife, cut a large pocket in each chicken breast. (Hint: Cutting close to the smooth side of the breast ensures no holes in the chicken.) Place 1 half-slice of provolone inside each chicken, followed by half of the pear slices, and a small amount of shallot. Pull each chicken breast back together, top with the remaining half slice of provolone, sprinkle with a small amount of milk, and coat with panko. Place stuffed breasts on baking pan.

  

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until no longer pink, and juices run clear.

  

While the chicken bakes, make the sauce. In a small pot over low heat combine the egg yolks and sugar. Beat until the yolk lightens and froth forms. Slowly add the wine, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. (you can use a double boiler if you are worried about burning the sauce)

**Tip: you really can use any type of pear you can find, or even substitute apples (I would use Granny Smith in that case); although it may be tempting to use regular bread crumbs if you do not have panko, really the dish is so much better with the panko. 

Broccoli Salad

4 slices bacon (I use pre-cooked, see tip below)

1 8-10 oz bag frozen broccoli (or use fresh if you are so inclined)

1/2 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/8 cup white sugar

salt and pepper to taste

2/3 cup mayonnaise

Place frozen broccoli in a medium pot of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Prepare an ice water "bath" while the broccoli cooks to stop the cooking process and cool the broccoli down. Just as the water had begun to boil (remember frozen broccoli is already cooked), scoop out the broccoli and transfer to the ice water. (if you decide to use fresh broccoli, cook as you normally would, but still use the ice water bath to cool it down quickly)

Crisp the bacon and crumble (if you use fresh bacon, cook it until crisp in a skillet and crumble)

In a large bowl, combine broccoli, cheese, and bacon.

Prepare the dressing in a small bowl by whisking together the red wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and mayonnaise. Combine dressing with salad. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

**Tip: our local Whole Foods has a daily breakfast bar that has cooked bacon; they charge $4.99/pound. Once every week or two, I pick up about 10 slices (which costs MUCH less than buying a package of bacon and cooking it myself because I'm not paying for the fat that will render out anyway, plus it's more convenient for cooking in general to have pre-cooked bacon on hand), and freeze the bacon as soon as I get home. Whenever I want to use bacon, as in this recipe or even to sprinkle on a salad, I just pull out a few slices and crisp them in the toaster oven. If you don't have a Whole Foods, maybe other grocery stores or even buffet type restaurants will have this option...it really is a money and time saver!

Mashed Butternut Squash

3 cups cooked butternut squash (I cook several at a time, cube them and freeze them)

1-2 T butter

1/3 c milk

Place the squash in a medium pot over medium heat (if using frozen, it will take a bit longer to thaw out first, then continue with directions). Once the squash is heated through, add the butter and turn up the heat a bit, mashing the squash as you go (think mashed potatoes technique here). Use an immersion blender to make a smoother mash (the consistency will still be pretty thick). Add the milk a few tablespoons at a time and continue to use the immersion blender until you reach desired consistency.