Rachel Ray's Creole Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Crab And Artichoke

Ok, I admit it; I was skeptical about Rachel Ray's promise of 30 minute delicious meals. Thumbing through Rachel Ray's book Classic 30 Minute Meals, I found this recipe. Surprise-- with both Brad and I it only took 15 minutes and the results couldn't have been more impressive.

The combination of artichoke hearts, crab and buttery toasted bread was delicious in the stuffing. Adding the sherry was a great finishing touch. This is a recipe that we will definitely be making again and again. It looked like it took a lot of work, yet it was finished in no time at all. Thank you Rachel Ray!

Oh by the way, if you think that crabmeat is too expensive for an "everyday meal", look for it in a can. At Trader Joes, canned lump crabmeat is only $2.

Here's my version of Rachel's recipe. To make Rachel's exact recipe, add a chopped celery rib to the stuffing.

Ingredients:

1 to 1.5 lbs chicken breast cutlets (thin cut), pounded thin

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

A few pinches of poultry seasoning

Crab and Artichoke Stuffing

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 Tb EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

1 can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped (15 oz)

1/2 cup chicken broth

8 to 10 ounces canned crab meat

2 slices white bread, toasted and buttered (I used rice bread)

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Creole Sauce

1 Tb EVOO

1 pat butter (1/2 Tb)

1 cup dry sherry

1 cup chicken broth

1 Tb cornstarch dissolved in a splash of water or broth

Season chicken with salt, pepper and seasoning. Put aside.

Saute shallots in EVOO over medium heat in a skillet for 2-3 minutes. Add in artichoke hearts and broth, and cook for one more minute. Add the crabmeat and heat it up, breaking the meat. Chop the toast into small cubes and add it to the pan. Add the Old Bay, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well then remove from heat.

Put small mounds of the stuffing in the chicken and roll it up, securing it with a toothpick.

Make the sauce by adding the EVOO and butter to the same pan over medium high heat. Put the chickens in the pan to brown them for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken and then add the sherry. Reduce the sherry to half volume (about 1-2 minutes). Add the broth, bring to a boil, then add the cornstarch mixture and stir. This will thicken the sauce. Finally, return the chicken to the pan and cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. This will take about 5 minutes.

Serve with a green salad and crusty French bread.

Sauteeing the Stuffing

Extra stuffing!

The chicken after they're stuffed

The finished dish!