Chicken breast with Serrano ham and Mozzarella

Chicken breast stuffed with delectable Serrano ham and springy Mozzarella cheese is a simple, yet delicious, meal to serve during the coming festive period.

The sauce is based on the traditional salsa de vino de Málaga and its sweet flavors accompany the succulent chicken perfectly.

Mozzarella is an Italian cheese originating from Latium and Campania and although buffalo milk is still used in these areas, much of the Mozzarella from the rest of Italy is made with cow’s milk. It is a fresh cheese with a mild taste but when made with buffalo milk it has a much more delicate flavor.

Lyonnaise potatoes and some steamed vegetables like broccoli, French beans and carrots are an ideal accompaniment to this dish.

Your choice of wine is limited only by your imagination but a Coto de Imaz Rioja Reservacomplements this meal perfectly. Its seductive spice, tobacco and herbal aromas and silky fruit flavors are the essence of a traditional Rioja and the aging in oak barrels combines the classic marriage of wine and wood.

If your preference is white wine, then El Coto also offer an intensely aromatic El Coto Rioja Blanco that has an exquisite after taste of fruit and fine herbs.

Ingredients

4 Large chicken breast

8 slices of Serrano Ham

1 Mozzarella ball

Pepper& oregano

1 Egg

Bay leaves

1 glass dry sherry

75ml water

2 garlic cloves

Chicken stock cube

100G Raisins

Teaspoon brown sugar

½ Teaspoon flour

Olive oil

Method

Clean and trim the chicken breasts and then butterfly each one. Lay the opened breasts on a flat surface and brush each one with some beaten egg, a sprinkle of oregano and some pepper. Lay two slices of Serrano ham across each beast and then place a few thin slices of Mozzarella along the middle of the ham and roll the chicken breast into a secure cylinder. Place the rolls on a piece of kitchen foil and roll this into a tube twisting the ends of the foil to seal each parcel. 

Place the chicken rolls into a roasting tin and add a little sherry, water and the bay leaves and bake in a pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Set aside to cool a little before removing the foil. 

Using a small sauce pan, gently sauté the chopped  garlic in a little olive oil for one minute and then add the raisins and brown sugar to the pan cook for a further one minute before adding the flour.

Mix the ingredients to form a paste and add the wine, stirring continually so that a sauce forms.

Add the water, stock-cube and any juices left from the roasting tin, and simmer for five minutes until the sauce has reduced a little.

Serve the chicken sliced into medallions with the sauce poured over. Bon appetite!