Grilled Chicken With a Fresh Tomato Stuffing and Mozzarella

This is summer at it's best. Boneless skinless chicken on the grill, stuffed with fresh summer tomatoes and herbs, crusty bread and fresh mozzarella cheese. Simple flavors and so easy to put together. Grill some asparagus and maybe a grilled romaine or radicchio salad means NO clean up. Perfect summertime cooking.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4-6
• Yields: 4-6 chicken breasts

Ingredients

• Chicken

• 4 -6  large chicken breasts, boneless skinless (pocket cut for the stuffing)
• 4  slices fresh mozzarella cheese (if you don't want to use fresh mozzarella, you could use provolone or even swiss)
• 1 1⁄2 cups  Italian dressing (1 cup to marinade, 1/2 cup to brush on during grilling)
•  salt
•  pepper

• Stuffing

• 2 1⁄2 cups  fresh breadcrumbs (I used day old baguettes, rough chopped in the food processor, don't grind them too fine)
• 1 1⁄4 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half (grape tomatoes are a good substitution)
• 1⁄2 small onion, diced fine
• 1  teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2  scallions, green and white, fine diced
• 1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 2  tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
• 1  tablespoon fresh basil, minced
• 1  teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1  teaspoon olive oil
•  salt
•  pepper

Directions

1. Chicken -- Now, my butcher at my grocery store will cut the pockets for me, but they aren't hard. Just make the pocket as big as possible so you can get the most stuffing inches I said 4-6 chicken breasts because depending on the size of the breast, you may have enough stuffing for 6.
2. Marinate -- Add the Italian dressing and chicken to a large baggie / ziplog bag, seal and toss well to coat all the chicken. I prefer to marinate the chicken all day if I have the time, but even just a hour or so will give the chicken a nice flavor. When you are ready to make the chicken, remove from the refrigerator to take the chill off.
3. Stuffing -- In a medium size sauce pan, add the olive oil and bring to medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, scallions and saute 2-3 minutes until the onions become tender, then add in the tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook until they JUST begin to get soft, 2-3 minutes if that. Remove from the heat.
4. In a medium size bowl, add the bread crumbs, herbs, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Slowly spoon in the tomato, onion and garlic mixture. You want some of the juice, but maybe not all of it. Just toss the vegetables and bread together until the bread is moistened but not "soggy.".
5. Chicken -- Stuff the chicken with as much stuffing as possible and secure with a toothpick if necessary. Season well with salt and pepper.
6. Grill -- On a medium heat grill, add the chicken and grill on both sides until you get good grill marks. Brush each side a couple of times with the remaining Italian dressing. If the chicken gets too brown before it is finished cooking, just add a piece of foil on the grill and place the chicken on that.
7. Cheese -- The last few minutes, top each breast with a slice of the mozzarella cheese and grill until it is melted and "gooey.".
8. Serve -- Just enjoy a great summertime recipe. Serve with some grilled asparagus and maybe a nice salad.
9. Prep Time does NOT include marinating time.