Ham & Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I made this a couple of nights ago.  Making a pocket in the chicken s easy with a good, sharp knife. Browning the chicken in a skillet before baking gives it a golden color and finishing it in the oven ensures it cooks evenly.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup grated Swiss, Monterey Jack or part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped ham
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast hales ( 1 1/4 pounds total)
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Use a rimmed baking sheet and lightly coat it with cooking spray
3. Mix cheese, ham, mustard and pepper in a small bowl.
4. Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of a chicken breast half, nearly through to the opposite side. Open up the breast and place on-fourth of the filling in the center.
5. Close the breast over the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and filling.
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6. Lightly beat egg white with a fork in a medium bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow glass dish. Hold each chicken breast half together and dip in egg white, then dredge in breadcrumbs.
7. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add chicken breasts; cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Place the chicken, browned-side up, on the prepared baking sheet
8. Bake until the chicken is no longer ink in the center or until an instant-read thermometer registers 170 degrees. about 20-30 minutes.

Notes

This recipe originally came from EatingWell Magazine. I got it off Cooking.com