Maple-Blueberry Chicken Stuffed with Canadian Brie and Basil Crème

Who doesn’t love serving up restaurant-quality dishes to their friends and fam for dinner? There’s nothing quite like the sparkle in their eyes when you place a plate of deliciousness in front of them, especially when it’s a flavor combo they’ve never tasted. But who has the time to dream up the recipes and spend countless hours preparing meals, right? Not me! So I was thrilled when the Dairy Farmers of Canada sent over an easy recipe (30 min prep, 25 min cooking time) that is bound to impress the socks off my loved ones. They had me at maple and brie…

What I love about this recipe: it doesn’t require too many ingredients (and most of them are things you probably already have in your kitchen), it doesn’t involve any advanced kitchen techniques (other than deboning the chicken breasts) and it’s healthy! Oh, and it smells soooo good: the aroma of fresh basil, lemon zest and the blueberry sauce permeated throughout my condo as I prepared our feast.

The best part? The flavour profile of this dish: the combination of fresh berries, basil and Real Cream is pure magic and elevates the much-loved chicken breast to a whole new level. A big thanks to chef Devan Rajkumar (the executive chef at Bosch, Thermador and Gaggenau) for rethinking the classic berries and cream combo and coming up with such a tasty recipe! Ok, now what you’ve all be waiting for: the recipe!

Maple-Blueberry Chicken Stuffed with Canadian Brie and Basil Crème

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in skin on chicken breasts, (about 2 lbs/ 1 kg)
• 1 cup (250 mL) diced chilled Canadian Brie cheese
• 12 large basil leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil

Maple-Blueberry Sauce:

• 2 tsp (10 mL) butter
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped shallot
• 1 cup (250 mL) blueberries
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) maple syrup

Basil Crème:

•  1/2 cup (125 mL) 35% cream
•  8 basil leaves
• 1 tsp (5 mL) grated lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and white pepper

Preparation

• Using a sharp knife, debone chicken, leaving skin attached. Holding knife horizontally, insert into thick end of each chicken breast and cut to make a deep pocket (careful not to pierce through; remove and reserve fillet for another use).
• In small bowl, combine Brie and basil; carefully stuff into each chicken pocket. Cover and refrigerate.
• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Maple-Blueberry Glaze: In a small saucepan, on medium heat melt butter. Add shallot and sauté until translucent, about 1 minute. Add vinegar and maple syrup and bring to a boil; add blueberries and cook until berries soften about 4 minutes. Set aside.
• In a large oven-proof skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Place chicken skin side down and cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes; turn over and place in preheated oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until juices run clear and a thermometer registers 165° F (74°C).
• Basil Crème: Meanwhile, in a small saucepan bring cream to a simmer on medium heat, stir in basil leaves and remove from heat. Puree with an immersion blender or in a blender. Stir in lemon zest, salt and pepper.
• To serve, spoon 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the basil crème sauce in the center of each plate; top with chicken breast and spoon maple-blueberry sauce over the chicken.

Hope you like this dish as much as we did! For more delicious recipes from chefs across Canada, head over to www.AnyDayMagic.ca. Happy cooking and feasting!

Special thanks to the folks at Dairy Farmers of Canada for sending over the ingredients and recipe for me to try out. As always, all reviews and opinions are entirely my own.