Bleu Cheese and Broccoli Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Garlic Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Stuffing
5 Spears fresh Broccoli (or 1/3 cup frozen)
4 T Crumbled Bleu Cheese

Garlic Cream Sauce
6 cloves Garlic
2-3 T Butter/ Margarine
2-3 T Flour
2 cups Chicken stock (I used bouillon)
1/2-1 cup(s) Milk
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Brine
2 Cups Water
1.5 Tbs Salt
1 tsp Sugar


Brine Chicken for 1 hour in a plastic bag.
After 1 hour rinse with water and pat dry. Using a sharp knife ( I used a filet knife) start at the thick edge of the breast and filet halfway through to create a pocket (this will not run end to end).

Blanche 5 spears broccoli in water for 1-2 min, drain all but 1-2 tsp water out and cook on low until broccoli is fork tender. Remove from heat, drain completely. Chop broccoli.

Combine broccoli and bleu cheese in a small bowl, mix lightly. Spoon roughly 2 T broccoli and bleu cheese mixture into the chicken breasts. Salt and pepper chicken.

Place in a oven-safe dish covered in aluminum foil sprayed with pam. Spray top of chicken with pam as well.

Place in middle of oven with Broiler on High for 5 min. Then drop temperature to 350* and bake for 30 more minutes or until juices run clear and chicken is no longer pink.




In the mean time....To make the Garlic Cream Sauce

Mince Garlic ( I love garlic, I used 6 fresh cloves) and place in heavy sauce pan with a light coating of olive/canola oil and cook on medium low until it becomes fragrant and starts to turn light brown.

Add butter and flour and whisk together to make your roux. Cook until it is light brown (light light) add in 1 cup chicken broth and let thicken. Add 2nd cup chicken broth and add salt and pepper to taste, let it thicken. Reduce heat to low and let it continue to cook and thicken. Add in milk at the end.

Remove chicken from oven and let stand for 3-5 minutes, this will ensure that your chicken doesn't lose all of it's juice when you first cut it. Drizzle garlic cream sauce on top and Enjoy!

We paired this with a green salad and some rice.

Hubby and I really enjoyed this, the garlic cream sauce turned out really nicely, hubby put it on his rice as well.