Caribbean Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Ritz Cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1/4 cup (scant) dark corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 boneless chicken breast halves with skin

• 1  8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained, 2 Tablespoons juices reserved
• 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 3 tablespoons bourbon

• Orange, cut into wedges
• 2 bananas, peeled, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter baking pan. Combine crumbs, walnuts, 4 tablespoons of butter, corn syrup and salt in small bowl. Loosen skin of each breast half. Stuff 16 of crumb mixture (about 1/4 cup) under skin of each. Secure with toothpick, enclosing stuffing. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add chicken to skillet and sauté until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Arrange chicken in prepared baking pan.

Blend crushed pineapple and reserved 2 tablesoons juices, orange juice concentrate, bourbon and remaining 2 tablespoons butter in small bowl. Spoon the mixture over the chicken.

Baked chicken until cooked through, about 35 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter. Spoon pan juices over. Garnish with orange wedges and banana slices, if desired.

Serves 6


For “Cordon Bleu” style:

1. Use boneless skinless chicken breast halves.
2. Place meat between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound into thin cutlet.
3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Place 1/4 cup (approximate) of filling onto the cutlet and roll up and seal the chicken as you would a cordon blue chicken with ham and cheese.
5. Place in refrigerator of at least 30 minutes.
6. Set up a station of flour, egg and bread crumbs. Season all with salt and pepper. You can add garlic and other herbs to the bread crumbs.
7. Unwrap each chicken breast and roll in flour, then egg wash and finally bread crumbs.

At this point you can place on a baking sheet on parchment paper then freeze and vacuum seal.

When ready to finish, prepare the pineapple and orange juice topping as described above.

Thaw the chicken breast of if unfrozen fry in oil in a cast iron skillet at 350 degrees about 3 minutes per side. Place in a baking dish and top with pineapple orange mixture and bake for about 18 minutes in a over preheated to 350 degrees.