Shrimp Stuffed Chicken with Lobster Sauce
Shrimp Stuffed Chicken with Lobster Sauce
This is a dish you could use for your next candle lit dinner. Delicately flavored with gooey mozzarella cheese oozing from the shrimp filled center. Surely impressive enough for your significant other and yet surprisingly simple. The secret ingredient is lobster shells from that last lobster dinner you had. You know the ones you didn't throw away but kept in the freezer for just such an occasion as this.
If you haven't had lobster recently maybe you've made some shrimp. You could substitute shrimp shells to make this sauce. Of course it won't be lobster sauce anymore but hey, it will still be excellent with shrimp sauce!
I love the warm pink, creamy colors, delicate flavors and of course the cheese. I told you there was cheese didn't I? Rich creamy cheese and garlic.
If you saved the shells from your last lobster or shrimp dinner you should pull them out of the freezer now and make this sauce.
I put the frozen empty shells into 2 cups of water and boiled them for 10 minutes. Then I added 10 raw jumbo pink shrimp in their shells to the boil for 3 minutes.
I removed the shells and shrimp and reserved the stock to make my lobster sauce.
Tip: Peel the shrimp and save the shells for your next seafood sauce.
Next I prepped the chicken breasts. They were absolutely huge so I cut them in half lengthwise and pounded them gently to tenderize them. This also makes them thinner and larger to more easily wrap around the shrimp and cheese filling.
I placed them on a large cutting board and covered them with plastic wrap before pounding them gently with my mallet. The plastic wrap helps to keep the meat juices from splattering all around the kitchen.
Chicken after pounding gently with a tenderizing mallet.
I had some leftover quartered lemons and chopped scallion on hand that I new would go great with my sauce so I brought those out and then I organized my spices.
I used salt, nutmeg, white pepper, tarragon, cayenne pepper and garlic powder fairly lightly so they would enhance but not overpower the delicate seafood flavors.
Now it was time to stuff the chicken and get it into the oven to bake. I set aside the shrimp I used to top the chicken and cut the rest of the shrimp in half lengthwise to stuff the chicken.
I sprinkled the chicken with some of the shredded mozzarella and scallion then topped those with 3-4 slices of shrimp. I rolled up the chicken and sprinkled just a little mozzarella on top.
After they had all been rolled up, placed in the baking dish seam side down and topped with cheese, I put them into the oven to bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
How to make lobster sauce:
While the chicken is baking, I add 1/4 cup of butter to a small sauce pan and turn the heat on medium low. After the butter melts, I add 1/4 of all purpose flour and blend them with a whisk until it's bubbling and smooth. About 1 minute.
Next I add the lobster stock. It should measure about 1 1/2 cups. You can add water to bring it to this measurement if you need too. Continue to stir until the flour is blended into the stock. About 1 minute.
Now I turn up the heat to medium- high and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a low boil and thickens. When the sauce begins to thicken, I turn the heat down to low and begin slowly adding some milk until the sauce has thinned to the consistency I like and it has become more opaque and white. This usually takes 3-4 minutes on my stove top.
Now that I have a white sauce, I add my seasonings and lemon juice, then keep it warm over low heat stirring occasionally until the rest of the meal is ready to plate. This will give the seasonings a little time to bloom and marry with the lobster stock.
Now that wasn't so hard. Lobster sauce. It just sounds intimidating doesn't it?
As the chicken finishes cooking it will firm up, the juices will run clear and the cheese will begin to melt and ooze out a little. The cheese on the top will also brown and bubble some giving it more color and flavor.
When the chicken is ready, I place one stuffed breast per plate and top each breast with two whole peeled shrimp.
Then it's time to pour over the luscious creamy lobster sauce and garnish with a sprinkle of scallion.
Love Love Pink Shrimp!
This easy steamed broccoli was the perfect side for dunking and sweeping up the creamy sauce.
I hope you'll try my recipe for this decadent chicken and seafood dish and let me know how it goes for you. Don't forget to save those shrimp and lobster shells for making fabulous seafood stock.
Happy New Year!
~Melisa
Shrimp Stuffed Chicken with Lobster Sauce
Ingredients
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 small Lobster tail shells (or 10-15 Shrimp shells)
14-16 Jumbo Shrimp
2 cups water
1/4 cup butter
1/4 all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups lobster stock
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk (I used non-fat)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon tarragon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Method
Make the stock:
Add empty lobster tail shells to 2 cups of water and boil for 10 minutes. Then add 10 raw jumbo pink shrimp in their shells to the boil for 3 minutes.
Take out the shells and shrimp and reserved the stock.
Make the chicken:
Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise then pound them gently under plastic wrap.
Set aside the shrimp you will use to top the chicken with and cut the rest of the shrimp in half lengthwise.
Sprinkle the chicken with some of the shredded mozzarella and scallion then top those with 3-4 slices of shrimp. Roll up the chicken, place them seam side down in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle some more mozzarella on top.
Put them into the oven to bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Make the sauce:
Add 1/4 cup of butter to a small sauce pan and turn the heat on medium low. After the butter melts, add 1/4 of all purpose flour and blend with a whisk until it's bubbling and smooth. About 1 minute.
Next add the reserved lobster stock. It should measure about 1 1/2 cups. You can add water bring it to this measurement if you need too. Continue to stir until the flour is blended into the stock. About 1 minute.
Turn up the heat to medium-high, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a low boil and thickens into a white sauce. Immediately turn the heat down to low and begin slowly adding some milk until the sauce has thinned to the consistency you like and it has become more opaque and white. About 3-4 minutes.
Now add the seasonings and lemon juice. Stir to blend then keep the sauce warm over low heat stirring occasionally until the rest of the meal is ready to plate.
Plate:
When the chicken has finished baking, place one shrimp stuffed breast on each plate and top each breast with two whole peeled shrimp.
Top with the lobster sauce and garnish with scallion.
