On the Table: Mushroom Stuffed Chicken with Balsamic Reduction

Everybody's always on the lookout for new (and easy!) things to do with chicken, right?  Well, this dish is ready in under an hour and for much minutes of that time, you don't need to do anything - and it's delicious!

Clean and slice about one ounce of mushrooms (I used baby portabellos) for each chicken breast.  Coat a frying pan with canola oil and put it over medium heat.  When the pan gets warm, add in the sliced mushrooms and season with salt and black pepper.  Saute until mushrooms are tender, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.  Butterfly boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut each breast horizontally, but do not cut all the way through - it should open like a book).  Open the breasts, fill with mushrooms, and then fold them closed and place in the baking dish.  Sprinkle the chicken with salt, black pepper, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and grated parmesan cheese.  Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil and put it in the oven.  After 20 minutes, remove the foil and allow the chicken to continue baking for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese has started to brown.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the balsamic reduction.  Pour half a cup of good balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan, and put it over medium heat until the volume has reduced by half and the vinegar thickens.  Stir in a dash of honey right at the end, if desired.

Plate the chicken and drizzle the reduction over it.

Enjoy!