I made this for my friend Vladis’s 92nd Birthday. It’s not diet food but you’re only 92 once!
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
- 6 very thin slices of ham
- 12 oz cheese (I used muenster), half cut into 6 even logs*, about 3 inches long; the other half coarsely grated
- 2 cups chopped sweet onions
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- Salt and ground pepper to taste
- 1 cup non fat half and half
- 1 tbsp minced fresh tarragon
- Ground paprika
Put each chicken breast half between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until chicken is an even 1/4” thick. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper on both sides. Repeat with remaining chicken breast halves. Lay a slice of ham over each chicken breast. Lay the chicken breast in profile layout. Put a log of cheese crosswise on the end closest to you and roll the breast over the cheese into a tight log. Secure with toothpicks. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts until all chicken, ham and cheese logs are used up. Lightly spray a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Put the breast in the baking pan, seam side down, making sure they don’t touch. Bake chicken breasts in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
While chicken is baking, chop onions. Melt butter in a sauce pan and add onions. Cook over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add butter and stir for about 1 minute. Gradually add half and half, whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Add grate cheese and continue whisking until cheese is melted. Add minced tarragon and set sauce aside.
When chicken is cooked, remove toothpicks. Lay one chicken piece on a plate and stop with sauce. Sprinkle with paprika and garnish with fresh tarragon sprigs.
Serve with cooked vegetables and starch or your choice. Makes six servings.
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*For a lighter and different dish, you can substitute 6 hearts of palm, rinsed and drained, for the six cheese logs.
