Cape Cod Cranberry Stuffed Chicken

If using two one-pound breasts, butterfly the breast open then pound to ¼ inch thick. Once pounded, cut into two equal pieces. Repeat for second breast yielding four pieces.

If using 8-ounce breasts, pound each to ¼ inch. The pounded-out breasts should be about eight inches long and six or seven inches wide.

Keep refrigerated until later.

In a large saute pan or skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and once melted and frothy, add onions, celery, garlic and dried cranberries and saute for five minutes. Add celery salt, pepper and poultry seasoning and stir.

Add half of the stock and half of the cream and once hot, reduce to low and add bread and cranberry sauce and stir and mix to break up the bread and melt the cranberry sauce.

Mixture should be soft and spreadable. If not, add more bread or stock to get correct consistency.

Taste and season more if needed.

Pour out onto a large dish and refrigerate to cool.

Wash and dry the pan out and set back on the stove for later.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Once the filling is cool, lay out one pounded breast and run one quarter of the filling from one end to the other, keeping an inch free along one outer long edge. *

Start with the free edge away from you and roll the chicken over the filling and end on the free edge.

Repeat for the remaining filling and chicken.

Turn each over one at a time and using toothpicks, close the seam by piercing through one side to the other. I ran 8-10 toothpicks through each roll.

In the large skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter along with the two tablespoons of olive oil.

Once hot, add chicken seam side down and brown. Using a long spatula, like a fish turner, flip each roll over and brown the other side. I cooked mine for about three minutes per side.

Add remaining stock and cream into the pan and over the chicken, cover and place in the preheated oven for five minutes. Remove cover and cook five more minutes then remove.

While chicken is cooking, melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat and once melted, add flour and cook over low for about three minutes stirring with a wooden spoon. The mixture should be slightly tan in color and no longer smell like raw flour. Set this aside off heat.

Once the chicken is out of the oven, transfer to a clean cutting board and pour all liquid (and any stuffing pieces that fell out) into the pan with the butter flour mixture, whisking vigorously. Return heat to medium heat and add gravy color and cranberry sauce and whisk again. Taste and only add salt and pepper if needed.

Slice the chicken rolls into thick slices and serve with the sauce over our Cranberry Rice Pilaf.