Chelsea's Italian-Style Stuffed Chicken Breast

As I was growing up I started to resent chicken because my mom, bless her heart, was so busy between taking care of 4 kids and also working part-time that she tended to make chicken the same exact way about 4-5 nights a week.

Baked with salt and pepper.

As I started growing up I would do anything to avoid buying or making chicken because I was stuck in that baked salt and pepper chicken mindset that seemed to have scarred my taste buds from poultry all together.

Once I moved out on my own I started experimenting with recipes and tastes that I found appealing and shortly after realized that there are SO many different and delicious ways to cook chicken and upon trying new ideas one that has become a favorite for my family and friends is my personal spin on an 'Italian style' chicken breast.

-Chelsea's Italian Chicken-

(Chef's Note) I usually feed 4-5 people so this is the recipe serves 4-5,
You can cut it in half or double as much as needed.

Ingredients:
5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
16 oz of whipped cream cheese
2 full packs of fresh basil (or about 15-20 fresh basil leaves off plant)
Italian parsley
Garlic salt&pepper
Olive oil
4 Roma tomatoes
Parmesan cheese (either finely grated or powdered Parmesan in plastic jar works too when on a budget)

Food processor, blender, or mixing bullet...if you don't have any of those you will need to mince the basil and parsley as fine as you possibly can but for best results and texture you will want to use one of the above blending methods

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Instructions
- Mix cream cheese, basil and 1/2 head of Italian parsley in food processor and start blending on "high"

- While blending pour in about 1/4cup of olive oil.

- Let blend for about 2-5 minutes until mixture starts to turn green, then add 1 teaspoon of garlic salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper

- Also add 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and keep blending.  Once completely blended, mix should be a light green and smell like pesto mix should also have no large chunks of parsley or basil

- Set aside blended stuffing mixture.

- Take chicken breasts and carefully cut through center in middle to make pockets for "stuffing"

- Generously stuff each chicken pocket with your Italian basil cream stuffing, reserving some of the stuffing. Flip top of chicken over so they are secure and stuffed full

- Cut each tomato into 4-5 slices and put one layer of pieces of tomato all over each piece of chicken,
4-5 slices on each breast,

- Lightly pour a little bit of olive oil over tomatoes then cover tomatoes with more Parmesan cheese.

- Stick chicken in glass baking pan, and cook in oven and for about 45 minutes until stuffing is bubbling and starting to flow from the chicken, I always cut into one piece to make sure there in no pink since sizes of breasts.  Oven temperatures always vary:)

- When done, the Tomatoes with Parmesan on top should be slightly crisp and lightly browned.

- Serve on plate and don't forget to add an extra dollop of the Italian cream stuffing on each plate for extra dipping.  People love it when you leave some of your cream stuffing left over to individually put on each plate for extra dipping and taste.

Last but certainly not least...ENJOY! :)

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