Stuffed chicken with rice and mango salsa

Ingredients:
Chicken stuffed with fontina and broccoli

Chicken breasts, pounded thinly, 10 or 3-4 lb

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Garlic salt

Broccoli, 1 head or enough for 10 florets (~1 floret per breast)

Fontina, coarsely grated, 6 oz

Olive oil

Flour, seasoned with salt, garlic salt and pepper

Egg, 1, beaten

Italian breadcrumbs

Brown butter rice
Jasmine rice
Onion, chopped, 3-4 tbsp
Olive oil
Butter

Mango salsa
Mango, finely chopped
Nectarine, finely chopped
Avocado, finely chopped
Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Directions:
Chicken

1. Steam broccoli, then season with salt and pepper and sauté with garlic and olive oil.
2. On each piece of chicken, place cheese and broccoli florets; roll up.
3. Dip breast into seasoned flour, then egg, then Italian breadcrumbs. 

4. Drizzle baking dish with olive oil.

5. Place chicken breasts in dish and drizzle with more olive oil 

6. Bake for 45-60 minutes at 350˚F.

Rice
1. Sauté onion in olive oil until softened.
2. Add rice and sauté until lightly browned.
3. Place in water (follow directions for appropriate quantity, usually 1:1) and bring to boil.
4. Reduce and simmer over low-medium heat, about 20 minutes.
5. Add 2-3 tbsp butter and stir through.

Salsa
1. Mix nectarine, mango, avocado and parsley. Serve alongside rice and chicken. 

Serves: 10

Toddler rating: A reasonable success. My son happily ate bites of mango, avocado, and chicken, but rice only if it was mixed/disguised with something else. He managed to detect the broccoli even hidden in a chicken bite; he extricated the broccoli and then returned the chicken to his mouth. After about 20 minutes, he lost interest in eating, wandered off to play, and threw a spectacular tantrum complete with fake (tear-free) crying when he realized everyone else had stayed seated at the dinner table.

Toddler dining in action
July 2013