Rec: Chicken Raca w/ Asparagus

Ok, this is modified from the 'original' way I used to make it, but it is
still wonderful and shouldn't be too bad with carbs, high in calories
though. You'll also notice, I salt/pepper a lot. I like my stuff seasoned
well. This isn't something that you're going to be making all the time or
eating on induction, but I figure you can get away with about 600ish
calories(ouch) 10-15g of carbs per serving (1 'roll' with sauce, and 5
medium aparagus) every once in a while.

Bear with me, I don't cook with recipies or exact measures, I cook with my
eyes, fingers, and nose (eewww ). .

Take some chicken breasts. Either pound them very thin or double butterfly
them (I do this by cutting one thin slice from the top and leaving it
attached. Flopping it over, then cutting back the other way from the end of
my last cut and flopping it over to create a thin breast). Salt/pepper a
little.

Spread them out and place a few paper-thin slices of Elephant Garlic (almost
thin enough to see through).

Take some fresh basil(1 leave per breast), slice it in half, score it with a
knife, then place it on top of the garlic.

On top of the basil, place a slice (or a few slices depending on how thin
you have it sliced and what size it is) of Prosciutto(an italian aged ham).
Cover most of the chicken breast.

On top of that, place a slice (or a few slices depending on how thin you
have it sliced and what size it is) of Sopressata (an italian aged salami).
just enough to cover about 1/2 of the breast.

Now, place some FRESH mozzerella (not the processed stuff like string
cheese... REAL FRESH stuff) on top of the Sopressata.

Gently roll up the chicken around the 'filling', tucking in the ends to
create a nice package, then use some skewers or toothpicks to keep it shut.
Sprinkle rolls with salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried oregano, and onion
powder.(in non-LC cooking, I combine flour, garlic powder, dried basil,
oregeno, salt, pepper, and onion powder, then give the rolls a nice thin
coating)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a good nonstick pan, heat some EVOO(extra virgin olive oil) and butter.
Cook up some FINELY CHOPPED(or however you want the consistancy of your
sauce) onion on med. heat(I don't really know how much, but you can
guestimate depending on how many people you're feeding[BEWA LOTS OF CARBS
IF YOU GO OVERBOARD] You can also add a little finely chopped peppers [red,
green, yellow, orange, hot, roasted, etc depeding on your tastes and carb
needs] for some extra flavor). Once the onion goes a little opaque, add a
few cloves of crushed or finely minced garlic.

When the onions and garlic just start to color(the key is not to be too raw
but just before the carmalization process really gets going. Great savory
flavors with sweet undertones), remove them from the pan and set them aside
in a bowl(just the veggies, leave the oil behind in the pan).

Now, in the flavored oil that is still in the pan (and hot), sear the
chicken on med-high heat. Get some nice color on them. You're looking to
pick up the flavors of the pan, while searing the chicken and keeping the
juices inside(where they belong). Don't fuss with them. Put them in the
pan and only turn them when they have some nice brown color. You're not
looking to cook them (that will be finished in the oven), just sear them for
flavor and start the cooking process.

Once all of your chicken has been seared, place them on a lightly
oiled(EVOO) cookie sheet and into the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Place some asparagus in some tin foil with a little EVOO, some salt, pepper,
and some of the minced garlic that you have left over. Wrap it up and let
it steam in the oven until desired texture (try to time it to finish about
5-7 minutes after you take the chicken out of the oven).

Now, you should be left with a pan that has very little oil in it, but lots
of nice tasty stuff crusted and caked onto the pan. Deglaze the pan on mild
heat (adding a little liquid at a time and rubbing/stirring with a wooden
spoon or high-temp spatula until all the little goodies release from the
pan) with dry white wine (or whatever you like... some chicken stock works
too). Just enough to create a nice base for a sauce/gravy. Add your
onion/garlic/pepper back to the gravy and simmer a little to reduce, then
add some cream. Salt/pepper to taste. Reduce until it can coat a spoon.

Remove chicken from and let sit for a few minutes, once it cools a little
and 'sets' you can remove the skewers/toothpicks then slice into 1/3 inch
thick pinweels and fan them on the plate, top with some sauce. Serve the
asparagus on the side.

You could try using some spaghetti squash or oher pasta-replacement for some
of the sauce (when I used to make it, I used spaghetti or penne).


I hope you enjoy it.

-Dough