Chicken with prosciutto, mozzarella, and spiced pear paste

I especially enjoyed cooking this dish tonight as it was developed in my mind as I shopped for ingredients at my local IGA store. It started out when I found a jar of Maggie Beer’s Spiced Pear Paste whilst checking out the cold meats in the deli section, I had not tried it before but I have a liking for a couple of her products and they seem to always be good.

Having selected the paste I then ordered a few slices of prosciutto, selected chicken breast from the meat section, picked up a bunch of baby carrots and one of asparagus and I was on my way.

By the time I arrived home I had decided to include a few slices of mozzarella and to finish the dish off with a simple white wine sauce.

• Start by filleting the chicken breast lengthwise
• With cut size up pound the fillet with a meat mallet to make a nice even thickness, don’t make too thin
• Seasoning the breast with a little salt and pepper
• Lay a couple of slices of prosciutto lengthwise
• Top with slices of cheese
• Spread a little Spiced Pear Paste over the cheese
• Roll the breast starting from the narrow end, tucking the contents in nice and firm
• Tie the bundle with some cooking twine

Preheat oven to 200C, place chicken parcels in an oiled oven dish, and turn to coat with oil, then bake for 10 minutes.
Turn chicken parcels over and add ½ cup white wine and a ½ cup of chicken stock to the pan and bake for another 10 minutes or until cooked through.
Remove chicken from the pan, cover and keep warm, then pour juices into a saucepan and simmer over high heat for 2 -3 minutes, season to taste.
Transfer chicken to plates and remove the string, spoon cooking juices over and serve with steamed asparagus and baby carrots.

We enjoyed a Fifth Leg, Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon Chenin Blanc, which matched this meal perfectly.