Brie & Caramelized Onion Stuffed Chicken

When I cook dinner at home, I relax, usually take my time, have a glass of wine, and get dinner to the table in an unhurried manner. Cooking for my personal cheffing clients is different. Very different.

I cook for my clients weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. I even have a few clients that just call me up and hope that I can fit them into my schedule. The day starts with packing my car with my cooking supplies, zipping through the grocery store, chatting with my favorite checkout clerk Bonnie, and packing the groceries in my eco-friendly bags, before heading to my client's home.

Upon arrival, at usually an empty house, I chat with the dogs, unpack the groceries, sharpen my knives, put on my impeccable white apron (a la Julia Child), and start my day. With menu in hand, I plan my cooking balancing act. My goal is to cook a complete meal in about 45 minutes, give of take time for entrees requiring several steps to prepare like Brie and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Chicken versus ones that I can whip through such as Ginger Honey Barbecued Pork Tenderloin.

Typically, I have many dishes underway at the same time because I want to minimize the time it takes me to prepare all the meals. Pasta will be cooking for Parmesan orzo and peas, butternut squash, turnips, red potatoes, and baby carrots will be roasting in the oven, onions will be caramelizing on the stove top, and I will be mixing up the dressing for a Caesar salad all at the same time. Add in packaging the meals, adding the labels for heating instructions, and washing dishes and packing the refrigerator full of meals, my day is then complete.

A client favorite is Brie and Caramelized Stuffed Chicken. Chicken breasts are stuffed to overflowing with slow cooked, wine infused onions, garlic, and Brie cheese. After and quick sear to brown the outside of the chicken, it finishes up in the oven. A light sauce of wine, chicken stock and sage complete the dish.

This is a Sunday dinner type of dish. Put it on your menu next week and enjoy dinner with family and friends.


Caramelized Onion and Brie Stuffed Chicken

adapted from a recipe on myrecipes.com

6 servings

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, sliced thin, about 4 cups
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3/4 cup white wine, divided
about 6 ounces of Brie cheese, rind removed and cut into 6 slices
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add sliced onion, salt and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally,  for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown. Add sliced garlic and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of wine and cook 5 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Spoon 3/4 of the onion mixture into a bowl and the remaining 1/4 into another bowl - reserving for the sauce. Let onion mixture cool.

Cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of each chicken breast to form a pocket. Stuff about 1 - 2 tablespoons of the onion mixture into each pocket along with a slice of the Brie cheese.

In the same saute pan that the onions were cooked in, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken in batches and brown chicken on each side; about 3 - 4 minutes per side. Remove chicken and place on a large baking sheet. Finish cooking the chicken in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the thickest part of the chicken registers about 165 degrees on a thermometer. Make sure you are testing the temperature of the chicken and not the stuffing.

Meanwhile, in the same saute pan, add the reserved 1/4 of the onion mixture and 1/2 cup wine. Bring to a boil and reduce for about 3 - 5 minutes. Add the sage and chicken stock and continue boiling for an additional 4 - 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir to melt.

Remove the chicken from the oven and place on a platter. Spoon sauce over the top and serve.