Gorgonzola & Prosciutto Chicken

A few weeks ago I made Gorgonzola Grits, which were, I must admit, delicious. I still have some gorgonzola leftover, so I was trying to think of some creative ways to use it. As I mentioned when I made the grits, gorgonzola is an Italian blue cheese, so it has a very strong flavor. A little goes a long way.

I also had some chicken in my freezer, so I was inspired to use them together. My inspiration was furthered when I thought of the yummy combination of blue cheese and bacon. And because gorgonzola is the Italian's version of blue cheese, I thought it might go nicely with their version of bacon, prosciutto. If you have not had prosciutto, please run to the grocery store or your favorite Italian restaurant and get some NOW. You will not regret it. Trust me.

Do you have certain memories linked to your favorite foods? My happy memory with prosciutto is from our incredible honeymoon in Italy. We started our trip with a few days in Sorrento, which is on the Amalfi Coast. We then spent the remainder of our trip in Rome. Honeymoons tend to make one feel like they are floating on cloud nine, and I certainly felt that way on ours. Experiencing the sites, sounds, and of course, incredible tastes of Italy with my best friend is something I will never forget (and would love to do again)! Our very first night in Sorrento, we walked to the main area of the city and stopped in a cafe for dinner. I do not remember the name or why we chose it, but it was excellent! We began with an appetizer of prosciutto di parma and fresh mozzarella. It was so amazing and was my first taste of prosciutto. So every time I have it now I am taken back to that sidewalk cafe in Sorrento with my new hubby.

Prosciutto is like bacon but because it is dry-cured, their is no reason to cook it like you would bacon. It is delicious on it's own or added to your favorite recipes. Tonight I decided I would stuff my chicken with gorgonzola, wrap it in prosciutto, and bake it.

I began by cutting into the boneless, skinless chicken breasts horizontally. To do this, lay the chicken on a cutting board and insert your knife in the center (as shown in the somewhat blurry picture above). Carefully cut through (I usually place my other hand on top of the chicken while doing this, but be careful not to cut yourself!) until you have almost reached the other side. You want the chicken to be able to open like a book.

Next sprinkle a few small pieces of gorgonzola and some mozzarella (which is not in the top picture because it was a game time decision) on the chicken and fold back together.

Wrap each piece of chicken with one to two slices of prosciutto depending on the size of your prosciutto. Place in a baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil. I also placed some leftover gorgonzola in the dish which is not at all necessary, but does add to the overall gooeyness factor. This may not be an official word, but it is a wonderful thing.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. This time will very depending on the thickness of your chicken, your oven (mine is terrible), etc. In the end you will have a wonderful dish to make your Wednesday (or any day) seem extra special. Serve with fresh sauteed or roasted veggies or salad and enjoy!