Ingredients:
Mushrooms:
4 tablespoons butter
8 ounces brown mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Chicken:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to season
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
8 slices mozzarella cheese
¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1½ cups half and half (or reduced fat cream)
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
½ teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water (optional for a thicker sauce)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
Melt butter in a large oven-proof pan over medium heat, add garlic, and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add mushrooms, salt, pepper, and parsley, cooking until mushrooms are soft. Set aside to cool while preparing chicken.
Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel, season with salt, pepper, onion powder, and dried parsley, and rub to coat evenly.
Slice a pocket in each chicken breast and fill with 2 mozzarella slices and an equal portion of the mushroom mixture. Top each with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and secure with toothpicks.
In the same pan, heat any remaining mushroom juices and add chicken, searing until golden on both sides.
Cover pan and bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
For the sauce, add garlic to the pan juices and sauté for 1 minute.
Lower heat, add mustard and half and half, and simmer gently. Stir in remaining mushrooms and Parmesan until melted.
For a thicker sauce, add cornstarch slurry to the pan, stirring until thickened.
Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, add parsley, and return chicken to the pan to serve with sauce.
Servings: 4