Spanish Stuffed Chicken With Shrimp and Chorizo

Really a nice change from every day stuffed chicken breasts. It takes a little work, but not too much. I sometimes will make this ahead, cover well with saran wrap and bake the next day - It works great. Serve with plain white rice or polenta. It is so pretty, this is great served for company. And take advantage of canned tomatoes, canned olives and any size shrimp that is on sale. You can even use pre-cooked, but I prefer the flavor of cooking them myself for the stuffing. Fresh parsley does add a lot of flavor and the Manchego is wonderful if you can get it, but Monterey Jack will work just fine. A side salad with the polenta or rice, and you have a great dinner.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 4-5
• Yields: 4-5 chicken breasts

Ingredients

• Chicken and Stuffing

• 4 -5  boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat
• 1  cup shrimp, fine chopped (1 cup after dicing)
• 1⁄2 cup chorizo sausage, browned (use Mexican chorizo which is soft, removed from the casing, Spanish chorizo is the hard or cured ver)
• 1  small onion, fine chopped
• 1⁄4 cup black olives, diced (I buy the small can already diced to save time)
• 2  tablespoons  dried breadcrumbs
• 1  teaspoon fresh parsley, fine chopped
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons olive oil (1/2 for the chorizo, 1 for the shrimp and filling)
•  salt
•  pepper

• Sauce

• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1⁄2 cup chicken broth
• 1⁄2 cup white wine
• 1  large shallot, fine diced
• 1  teaspoon fresh parsley

• Topping

• 1  cup manchego cheese (Monterey Jack is a good substitute)

• Garnish

•  scallion, diced (optional)

Directions

1. Chicken -- Remove the refrigerator and let it come somewhat to room temperature They are much easier to pound out when NOT ice cold. I prefer to put mine in a large plastic bag - press all the air out and seal - then pound away. I use a meat mallet, but a heavy pan, rolling pin or pretty much anything heavy will work. I pound as thin as possible without breaking the chicken up or making any holes in the breast. Salt and pepper well and then just set to the side as you make the filling.
2. Chorizo -- In a large saute pan (I use a heavy oven proof pan that way everything is cooked in one pan) If you don't have one, use what you have on hand. Add 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and sauté the chorizo on medium heat until golden brown 4-5 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain any excess grease. Pour out the grease from the pan.
3. Shrimp -- Add to the same pan, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and put back on medium heat. Add the shrimp and onion and saute just a couple of minutes until the shrimp are just beginning to turn pink - It won't take long. NOTE: You can use any size shrimp, as long as you end up with 1 cup diced. As soon as they start to turn pink, remove from the heat and add the olives, parsley, bread crumbs, salt (go easy, the olives are salty) and pepper. Mix well and remove to a small bowl so the shrimp do not continue to cook. Add the chorizo to the shrimp mixture and stir well. Add a drizzle of olive oil if necessary to hold the dressing together.
4. Sauce -- In the same pan, add the shallots and white wine to deglaze the pan and cook just a minute if that. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth and parsley. Remove from the heat.
5. Stuffing -- Lay out the chicken breasts and top with the shrimp and chorizo filling. Roll up the chicken and secure with a toothpick. The filling will fill 4-5 breasts depending on the size. If there is any leftover, just freeze it for another time.
6. Bake -- Heat the oven to 350, middle shelf. If using a oven proof saute pan, add the chicken seam side down right in the pan with the sauce. Use a spoon and spoon some of the sauce over the chicken. If using a casserole dish, add the chicken seam side down and pour the tomato sauce over the top.
7. Cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes (the thickness of the chicken and the type of pan can affect cooking times). The last 10 minutes, uncover and top each chicken roll with cheese (I love manchego, but Monterey Jack will work just fine) and cook until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
8. Serve -- I love polenta with this, white rice is also good. No need to flavor other than salt and pepper because of the tomato sauce. But I do like to garnish with some chopped scallions.