Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken with Dried Apricot Ricotta Filling

One of the best things about my trip to Ireland that I took this past summer was bringing back wonderful cookbooks from a store/cafe called Avoca. The store itself was so much fun to shop in and we sadly did not eat in the cafe, but I am now able to cook my own Avoca cafe recipes from the cookbooks I got there.

I have 3 cookbooks from the store and until yesterday I had 2 of them at my Narragansett house (I now have all 3 at my Narragansett house). I went home to Massachusetts over the weekend and decided to cook a recipe out of the Avoca cookbook I had left at home. This chicken recipe from the cookbook is one of the best chicken dishes I have ever made.

Anything wrapped in prosciutto is going to end up being pretty delicious. The prosciutto that this chicken is wrapped in gets so extremely crispy in the oven and adds a great crunch to the chicken.

Although it's hard to beat crispy prosciutto wrapped around moist and juicy chicken, the filling takes the award for this recipe. The dried apricots may sound a little unique and strange to some people to add to a chicken filling, but they make the filling slightly sweet and compliment the salty prosciutto perfectly.

I will surely be making this chicken again and again. It is so unique, moist, crispy, sweet, creamy and delicious all in one dish! I served it with some simple roasted green beans and asparagus that I seasoned with a little salt, pepper and olive oil and roasted for about 20 minutes. You will love this meal. Enjoy!

Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken with Dried Apricot Ricotta Filling:

(recipe slightly adapted from: Avoca Cafe Cookbook 2)

2 cups ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon creme fraiche

2 cups baby spinach, chopped

1/2 cup dried apricots

1 teaspoon dried thyme

pinch ground nutmeg

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

4 chicken breasts

8 slices prosciutto

1/4 cup chicken broth

1. Preheat the oven to 375° and pour the chicken broth into a large baking dish.
2. In a large bowl mix together the ricotta, creme fraiche, spinach, dried apricots, thyme, nutmeg, salt, pepper and parmesan.
3. Cut a pocket into each chicken breast, cutting deep enough to add the filling but not slicing all the way through. Divide the filling evenly among the chicken, filling each pocket. Wrap each chicken breast in 2 slices of prosciutto and place in the baking dish.
4. Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with some roasted vegetables and enjoy!