This recipe was adapted from Best Recipes Ever.
Achi Momma! Kieran and I just returned from our Vegas vacation and we are exhausted! Vegas kicked our asses! It was our first time in Vegas so as you can imagine, we were on a mission to see as much as we possibly could!
We went with Kieran’s two Aunt’s, Rose and Anne, who offered us the trip as a wedding present. You read that correctly, a wedding present! I was blown away by their generosity, they went over and beyond to show us the VIP treatment!
One of my favorite parts of Vegas was our helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon. We rode the helicopter into the Grand Canyon for a champagne picnic. I’ve never seen the Grand Canyon and a helicopter ride was the way to go! The view and overall experience was breathtaking. I actually got choked up at one point because the helicopter ride was so wonderful. I HIGHLY recommend taking the tour!
helicopter helicopter1 helicopter2
The only downside to Vegas was the cigarette smoke, I didn’t realize Vegas still allowed smoking in the casino’s….I mean, I probably should have assumed, but I didn’t think about it. That being said, I came home smelling like an ash tray 🙁
BUT! The rest of our Vegas experience was amazeballs. We saw Penn & Teller, Absinthe, and the Michael Jackson One show. All three were great! Penn & Teller’s show was a bit more subdued, Absinthe was a raunchy, hilarious variety show with an astronomical amount of dick jokes (which I love), and Michael Jackson One was visually stunning. By the last song, we the audience could not help ourselves, we were up dancing.
The food was great too, but I honestly missed cooking! I couldn’t wait to get home and make a home cooked meal. I had some leftover blue cheese that needed used up so I found and altered this recipe a bit. I also made this for me and my husband, so I cut the recipe in half.
I have never cooked with leeks and dry sherry before….crazy right? I’m so happy I did because the combination of the leeks, sherry, and blue cheese worked wonderfully! Even if you don’t add the topping I did (paragraph below), this recipe would be scrumptious! I particularly like using flour, instead of toothpicks, to seal the chicken shut! I’ll use that method again the next time I am stuffing something.
I followed the recipe until the end. While the chicken was cooking, I mixed approx 3 tablespoons of Buffalo Wing Sauce, a big dash of dried thyme, with a big spoonful of blue cheese. After the chicken roasted for 20 minutes, I pulled it out of the oven, topped the chicken with my made up mixture, turned on the broiler, and put the chicken under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese melted a bit.
The dish was so delicious, I forgot to take a picture! Or….actually, what REALLY happened is the dish was so delicious, I didn’t have TIME to take a picture because me and my husband wolfed it down so fast. This was an EXCELLENT dinner to celebrate us being back home!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breasts (I used skinless, but the recipe calls for using the skin)
- 4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme (I used dried thyme, didn’t have fresh on hand)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 cups thinly sliced leeks, (white and light green parts only)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup dry sherry, (or chicken stock)
- 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1 tsp all-purpose flour
Directions
- Stuffing: In skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat; fry leeks and salt, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes.
- Add sherry; cook over medium-high heat just until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape into bowl and let cool. Stir in blue cheese.
- With knife held horizontally and starting at curved side, cut chicken in half almost but not all the way through; open like book. Spread one-quarter of the stuffing evenly over 1 side of each breast, leaving 1/2-inch border uncovered. Sprinkle flour over each bottom border; close breast, pressing edge to seal. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours; add 5 minutes to roasting time.)
- Place chicken , skin side up, on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. In small bowl, combine oil, thyme, salt and pepper; brush over chicken.
- Roast in 400 degrees F oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden and no longer pink inside. Broil, watching carefully to avoid scorching, until skin is crisp and golden brown, about 2 minutes.