Pesto Prosciutto Chicken

My final month of pregnancy, suffering from gestational diabetes, has left me desperate for new foods that are carb friendly and anything other than a salad!  My diet actually requires me to eat some carbs, but limited, and most importantly I need a solid amount of protein.  In an effort to try something new, I came up with the idea to make what I'm calling Pesto Prosciutto Chicken.  Eventually I may get more specific with my recipes, and show pictures along the way of my process, but for now, you get end results and general "how tos" on the food. =)

I took four chicken breasts and created "pockets" by slicing them in half but not all the way.  Okay, actually my husband did that part for me. =)  Then I placed a spoonful of pesto inside the pocket and brushed it all over (I used Armanino brand which is in the freezer section of most grocery stores, but you could use whatever your preferred pesto is).  Then I placed one slice of prosciutto to line the pocket, and one layer of mozerella cheese (I used fresh in water because it is always my preference, but you could really use any cheese here that you like).  Then I folded the pocket over so the breast was a "whole stuffed" breast.  I then took another spoonful of pesto and brushed it all over the top, flipped it over, placed it in an oiled baking pan, and coated the last side with another spoonful of pesto.  Finally I placed a little leftover sliced mozerella on the top, with a small piece of proscuitto to finish it off.  I thought it would look prettier this way. =)

I then baked the chicken at 350 for about 35 minutes, and finished it under the broiler for another probably 2 minutes to brown the top.  Here is my end result:

(Yeah, okay I realize I need to take better pictures, as in, not blurry and probably not with my phone... I'll get there!)

My chicken breasts were not fully defrosted so I ended up with a surprising amount of liquid in my pan.  Lesson learned, I should have them fully defrosted and pat them down before filling.  I imagine I would have gotten a better golden brown without the broiler this way too.  I also suggest if you are a better cook than me, to bake these using a meat thermometer to your preferred level of doneness.  I fully admit to often overcooking meat because that is how I like it. =)

Overall, I was very happy with the result.  It can stand for improvements for sure.  You will see that though if you decide to follow this blog- I love improving upon recipes and if I really find a great way to do it again, I will post that.  I have no need to show perfection because I find it rarely (if ever) happens in cooking.  Other than the abundance of liquid, I think I could have perhaps done these as a roll with pounded chicken breast and gotten more of the salt from the prosciutto, which would have been good.  I also felt like it needed some acid.  Tomato perhaps for those of you who like cooked tomatoes!  I served it alongside a caprese salad and the vinegar on my plate got on my chicken, and made me think perhaps I could have done a light balsamic marinade on the chicken before the rest of the process.  That might have been tasty too.

Here are some more pictures of the whole meal.  I served pesto pasta (using the remaining pesto from the chicken), caprese salad, and spinach patties (a family recipe that I will share someday).  It was good for my mouth, good for my tummy, and good for my blood sugar!

Mangia Bene!