Chicken meal!

CEBU, Philippines — No, this writing is not intended for  raisers of chickens.

It’s not about what to feed to chickens. Instead, it’s about chicken as food for humans.

Chicken as food is a popular favorite, almost everywhere! The mushrooming of fast food restaurants that mainly serve chicken dishes is proof to that. And why not? Chicken is versatile and generally healthier than the other meats.

In celebrations at home – especially on birthdays of family members – there’s almost always chicken. If the celebration takes place outside, it’s likely at the fast food joint that serves fried chicken. Who does not like chicken?

But, hey, the yummy possibilities of chicken are not limited only to fried chicken, chicken barbeque and chicken soup. Chicken is a most versatile meat, right? It can, in fact, be made into something ‘sophisticated’ – like this recipe by Cooking Light, shared at the website www.myrecipes.com:   

This lightened version of Chicken Cordon Bleu remains tres délicieuse despite a modest amount of butter. Fix mashed potatoes and a side of green beans while the chicken bakes.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

¼ cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

5 teaspoons butter, melted

1 large garlic clove, minced

½ cup dry breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated

1 teaspoon paprika

4 (6-ounce) pieces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

4 thin slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces)

¼ cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cooking spray

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Place broth in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave at high 15 seconds or until warm. Stir in butter and garlic. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and paprika in a medium shallow bowl; and then set aside.

3. Place each chicken breast half between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each to ¼-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt, oregano, and pepper. Top each breast half with one slice of prosciutto and one tablespoon mozzarella.

4. Roll up each breast half jelly-roll fashion. Dip each roll in chicken broth mixture; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place rolls, seam side down, in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour remaining broth mixture over chicken. Bake at 350° for 28 minutes or until juices run clear and tops are golden.

This recipe makes four servings, at one rolled chicken breast half per serving.