Chicken wrapped in proscuitto with pesto sauce

I issue this recipe to you at the request of one Miss Alexis Goodkind- she asked me for it ages ago and I’d completely forgotten about it until now!

The recipe came to me from my mum. I think she may have pulled it from a magazine or newspaper about ten years ago with the intention of using it for a dinner party. It is my Dads very favourite meal which we wheel out on every special occasion- Fathers day last week being one of them, which was what got me thinking about it!

It’s very easy to make and can be left to putter away on the stove while you get the veggies etc ready. I would suggest serving it with new potatoes and green beans, or a green salad, although for those of you who like your dinners plain and simple (Leck I’m referring to you!) some rice would also do nicely.

It can also be put in the oven to bake at 175 degrees C once the chicken and pesto has been added, instead of cooking it on the stove top if you need to go off and do other things. This is particularly useful if you're in friends-over-for-dinner-mode, just transfer the onion/ pesto mix to a snug sized baking tray, put the chicken on top, stick it in the oven before they arrive and 30-40 mins later- hey presto! Its one of those dishes which tastes like you’ve put a lot more effort in to it than you really have (and we all like those don’t we?!)

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 8 strips of prosciutto (the ordinary kind you get in packets from the supermarket as its going to be cooked)
• Two small onions sliced in half moons (doesn’t need to be too fine)
• 1 jar red pesto
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 ball mozzarella

Method

1. Start by chopping the onions as directed then warm the olive oil in a big frying pan. Add the onions and cook on a low heat to soften, but not brown them, for ten minutes.
2. Trim any skin off the chicken and on a chopping board, lay out two slices of the prosciutto side by side. Place the chicken on top and roll it up in the prosciutto to make a little parcel. This doesn’t need to be too neat as you are going to cover it in sauce later anyway!
3. Repeat with the other three breasts and place them all in the pan with the onions, give them a good wiggle around so that the chicken touches the pan.
4. Keep the heat on low and cook the chicken for five minutes on each side to seal and brown it (I find a set of tongs are very useful when cooking this dish.)
5. Next pour the pesto on top and give it a good stir in with the onions around the chicken to make a sauce.
6. The chicken pieces will now need to be cooked approximately 15 minutes on each side, maybe twenty if theyre big ones. This is the point at which the whole thing could be transferred into a baking pan and put in the oven if you wish. Give it a stir every ten mins or so to make sure it doesn’t stick or burn, if it does turn the heat down lower. The onions will caramelise somewhat but don’t worry this just adds to the flavour.
7. When the chicken is ready (test with a skewer or knife- if the juices run clear you’re good to go) heat up your grill and place the chicken breasts in a little pan. Slice the mozzarella and place a big piece on top of each breast. Place in the pan under the grill for three- five mins until the cheese starts to melt.
8. Remove from the pan and serve each piece of chicken with some of the onion/pesto sauce and vegetables as above.

p.s. if you make too many of these or cant finish all your dinner the breasts make a very fine sandwich filling if left to cool and slice them the next day. (don’t put the pesto in though!)