Sometimes simple is best and I feel my midweek supper posts would be missing something if there wasn’t a stuffed chicken breast rolling around somewhere. Whilst not wildly adventurous, this dish is so quick, (almost embarrassingly) easy and darn tasty – you could serve it to last-minute guests and you’d have clean plates and smiling faces all round (unless your friends are vegetarian that is!).

This is the ultimate recipe to fall back on in the middle of the week when you’re tired and hungry, in need of something reassuring and about to reach for the takeaway menu…

We ate ours with some teensy new potatoes and asparagus with lemon butter but you could serve with anything you fancy! If you don’t have any Parma ham to hand, bacon and proscuitto also work well. And why not play around with the filling by adding spinach, sundried tomatoes or fresh herbs (sage and thyme work a treat)?

Ricotta-stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in Parma ham

Ingredients:

Serves 2

– 2 chicken breasts
– 3 tablespoons ricotta
– 2 spring onions, finely chopped
– seasoning
– 4 slices Parma ham

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Butterfly the chicken breasts by cutting down the side of the breasts, with the knife parallel to the chopping board (cutting almost but not quite all the way through), and opening them up like a book (a weird book made out of raw chicken).

Mix together the ricotta, spring onions, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon onto one side of each chicken breast and spread evenly. Tip: if you have any of the filling left over, why not stir it into hot new potatoes for a simple instant sauce (I made extra on purpose…)?

Close the chicken ‘books’ and wrap in the Parma ham, ensuring that the ends are tucked underneath. Tip: the Parma ham acts as a skin and stops the chicken from drying out –  make sure that all of the breast is safely covered.

Bake on a baking tray for about 25 minutes (depending on the size of your breasts!) until cooked through.

Source: Recipe and photos by pip & little blue.