Chicken Stuffed with Pesto, Ham, and Fontina Cheese

Chicken Stuffed with Pesto, Ham, and Fontina Cheese

A mulligan, so Wikipedia tells me, is when a player gets a second chance to perform a certain move or action. I gather it’s used mostly in sports.

It’s also used quite frequently in my house.

Daniel does something wrong….”Andie I just need a mulligan. I’m sorry; please let me start over.”

I take a few too many liberties with hot sauce and Daniel’s mouth catches fire at the dinner table. I need a mulligan. And a less extreme personality.

Chicken Stuffed with Pesto, Ham, and Fontina Cheese

Daniel gets frustrated a moment too soon, abruptly yells at me…he begs for a mulligan.

I do that funny thing I like to do where I lick up that last drippety drop of maple syrup before my love has even opened his eyes on Sunday mornings. I ask for a mulligan and then for him to make a quick trip to Safeway and buy more.

Daniel recants to all our friends about that time I picked up hitchhikers and took them to the police station. He’s going to come calling for a mulligan.

I wake him up no less than four times because all five of my previously recorded episodes of The View are positively bla-ring as I cook straight through Saturday and well into Sunday. I need a mulligan and a sound-proof cooking studio.

Daniel forgets to lower the toilet seat and then smack dab in the middle of night I…well, we all know who needs a mulligan after that.

Both of us.

Stuffed Chicken with Pesto, Ham, and Fontina Cheese

I get a smidge too feisty before dinner and say things that I [should] regret. I silently ask for a mulligan by serving this chicken dish.

It’s fragrant and rich from the basil pesto, creamy and salty from the cheesy center, and made smoky from the smoked ham.

 

This chicken couldn’t be boring if she tried. The center stays juicy and moist, flavorful beyond flavorful, from all the savory sweet stuffing.

Oh. And it’s lightly breaded. You know how foods become exponentially more lovable when they’re breaded?

That.

I skipped the whole ‘dip the chicken in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs….’ because, well, it’s a hassle. This dinner, as fancy pants as it sounds, is quick and easy. It makes all ten of those pounds of chicken breast in my freezer more attractive.

Chicken Stuffed with Pesto, Ham, and Fontina Cheese

Perhaps my best mulligan to date.

Chicken Stuffed with Pesto, Ham, and Fontina Cheese

This chicken couldn’t be boring if she tried. The center stays juicy and moist, flavorful beyond flavorful, from all the savory sweet stuffing.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken stuffed with pesto ham and fontina cheese, pesto chicken recipe, stuffed chicken
Servings: 2 Servings
Calories: 379kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each)
  • 2 slices smoked ham or prosciutto
  • 1 ounce fontina cheese grated
  • 2 tablespoons basil pesto

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a wire cooling rack with cooking spray and set it on top of a large baking sheet.
  • Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl.
  • Using a sharp knife, cut into the long-side of the chicken breast, opening it like a book, and taking care not to cut all the way through the breast. Repeat with the second piece of chicken.
  • Spread the pesto among the insides of the breasts, then evenly distribute the ham and cheese on one side of each. Fold over to seal.
  • Dredge each filled chicken breast in the breadcrumbs, carefully turning to coat both sides.
  • Place them on the prepared wire rack, spray the tops well with cooking spray, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
  • Serve!

Notes

Calories 379, Fat 17g, Carb 11g, Fiber 1g, Sugars 2g, Protein 43g

Nutrition

Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 17g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g
Share:

Subscribe!

51 thoughts on “Chicken Stuffed with Pesto, Ham, and Fontina Cheese

  1. HootieMcBoob

    HA funny you posted this now because tomorrow night (which is actually tonight because it is Tuesday here but since I can’t sleep yet it means it’s tomorrow still…or something. Maybe I am tired….) oh yeah, back to what I was saying…tomorrow night I was supposed to make your lemon chicken cordon bleu, but this sounds awesome and I might switch it up. Tonight I made your shrimp with the spicy garlic sauce. It was deeeeeelicious! So far, I’m batting a thousand with the CYSFD recipes: two weeks ago the tuna burgers, spicy shrimp tonight, and trying some form of yummy chicken tomorrow, then s’mores pancakes for the husband on Father’s Day. I like food.

    Reply
  2. Whitney W

    This looks delicious! I am currently 29 weeks pregnant with twin boys and have been looking for fantastic meals that weren’t too time consuming or complicated to make. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply
  3. Johnny

    Always looking for another twist on stuffed chicken breast, this looks awsome! Like the mulagan idea, The only problem, you’re only aloud 1 on the front 9 and 1 on the back 9. I would need one for every hole (in life that is!)!! :)

    Reply
  4. Stephanie @cookinfanatic

    This sounds so good! Way to totally transform boring ol’ chicken breast into something fabulous, but I would expect nothing less coming out of your kitchen obviouslyyyy ;) Toilet seat comment lol = hilarious!!

    Reply
  5. ally@GirlVFood

    Any thing stuffed into a chicken breast is glorious. Fontina, ham, and pesto? It’s like my childhood ham and cheese croissandwiches from school but all grown up. BRAVA!

    Reply
  6. Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat

    Haha I love the comment about the toilet seat! This is a bit of a mulligan month for me in terms of recipes. I’m remaking a ton of the ones on my blog that I took ridiculously terrible photos of… my goal is to get through at least 10!

    Reply
  7. Brooke @ Waiting to Rise

    Wow…what an amazing recipe! And also, a great post….I need a few mulligans today…and yesterday….and the day before that….

    but i digress, i truly look forward to reading your posts because usually they are in line with something going on in my life too.

    thanks for being honest. You set a great example for me to follow when I blog!

    Take care! B

    Reply
  8. Joelle (On A Pink Typewriter)

    You crack me up! Your humor is just like mine which I genuinely appreciate. ;-) Plus that chicken looks perfect meal for a date night with my bf.. reminds me of something my Italian mama used to make when I was little, only with prosciutto and mozz instead of ham and fontina.
    -Joelle (On A Pink Typewriter)

    Reply
  9. Carol

    I would definitely give you a mulligan if you put this in front of me! I adore all of your recipes, but this one so far looks the best to me! Can’t wait to try it out :]

    Reply
  10. Brenda the Barefootcookingirl

    Oh, lovely jubbly! This looks so scrummy!!! (Scrummy is scrumptious + yummy) Going to have to try this soon! BCG

    Reply
  11. Daniella

    I can’t see your posts on bloglovin..one day I just stopped getting them.. it says something about too many redirects =S

    Reply
  12. Pingback: Mulligan – Bride to Mrs.

  13. Jamie

    Wow does that picture scram “EAT ME NOW!” Absolutely mouthwatering! I would excuse anything if they served me this. And YAY your recipe is for two which is…perfect!

    Reply
  14. Bee

    This looks like chicken cordon bleu’s cool older cousin that it wishes it could be more like. Sooo delicious sounding! Fresh pesto would make it eeeeven better–though I bet you used that, right?

    I learned about a mulligan the day you posted this, how bizarre! I was helping out at my company’s charity golf tournament!

    Reply
  15. Jeannette

    Here’s nutritional info (taken from nutritiondata.com, caveats all around) with a slice of smoked ham (3 oz, I think that sounds right?): 580 cals, 20 g fat, 119 g carbs, 77 g protein.

    What I’m making tonight is a slightly modified version of this (this recipe crossed with the cordon bleu a bit?). I’m using prosciutto instead of thick ham, adding some dijon, and using just a light schmear of basil pesto and the nutrition info looks like this: 354 cals, 14 g fat, 31 g carbs, 50 g protein. This way I can still have one of Andie’s 100 calorie chocolate cupcakes for dessert, too.

    I have loved every.recipe.I’ve.tried. Loved.

    Reply
  16. Pingback: The weekly round-up | drink. eat. play. repeat.

  17. Dixie Redmond

    This was really good. I used chicken breasts that were too thick and had to cook double the time to get interior cooked, even though I butterflied them. I am not sure what planet these organic chickens grow on because the breasts are huge!

    Next time I will buy cutlets and just stack them or will pound the heck out of the breasts to get them really thin. But we liked the taste a lot!

    Reply
  18. Becky

    Does anyone have any good suggestions for just cooking plain chicken breasts so that they stay moist? It seems that when I cook then on the stovetop they get dried out, but my temp/timing just might be off. I only cook for one, and chicken is a huge staple. Somehow I just have not quite figured it out yet though. Any help?

    Reply
  19. Pingback: Perfectly Perfect Chicken |

  20. Pingback: Chicken Stuffed with Pesto, Ham and Cheese « Get Dinner on the Table

  21. Pingback: Chicken Stuffed with Pesto, Ham, and Fontina Cheese | yummtumy

  22. Pingback: This weeks menu | Our life uncorked

  23. Pingback: Stuffed Chicken with Pesto, Pepper-jack cheese and Ham | A Hole Lotta Cheese

  24. Beth R.

    I love when something so simple is so tasty! Last week my husband bought POUNDS of chicken and so the search began for new recipes. We have committed to eating healthier this year so your site is one of my go to’s for such recipes. So glad I found this one! It was a breeze to put together and the taste was amazing! So much flavor with all of the things I adore, pesto, prosciutto and cheese. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks for another winner!,

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Diana Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.