Carrabba's Copycat Pollo Rosa Maria
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Serves: 4-6
 
Marinated chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto and Fontina cheese (or thinly sliced ham and goat cheese), grilled, and then covered in sauteed mushrooms with a lemon basil butter sauce
Ingredients
  • For the Marinade:
  • 1 large lemon, zested and then juiced (about 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice-- set the zest aside)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • For the Chicken:
  • 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced or pounded to ½" thick (usually about 4-6 pieces)
  • 4-6 slices of very thinly sliced deli ham (or prosciutto-- see note)
  • 4-6 ounces goat cheese
  • For the Mushrooms with Lemon Basil Butter Sauce:
  • 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
  • the lemon zest (reserved from the juiced lemon)
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Combine all of the marinade ingredients (lemon juice, olive oil, fresh basil, and kosher salt) in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces, cover and turn to immerse them in the marinade completely, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  2. Assemble the chicken by laying a slice of ham on each piece of marinated chicken. Top the ham with about 1 ounce of cheese and then fold the chicken over sandwiching the ham and cheese inside.
  3. Heat the grill to about 400-450 (hot is good so you don't have to worry about the chicken sticking).
  4. Place the mushrooms, lemon zest, butter, basil, and salt in a saucepan on the stove (or a grill burner if you have it!). Cook over medium heat. The butter will melt and the flavors will blend. Stir the mushrooms and butter sauce occasionally.
  5. Grill the chicken-- 3-5 minutes on each side should be sufficient if your meat is thin enough. Always make sure the internal temperature for chicken is 160-165 degrees. 15 minutes on the grill should be plenty.
  6. Top the chicken with the mushrooms and lemon basil butter sauce. Garnish with more chopped basil. Serve immediately.
Notes
Carrabba's dish includes prosciutto and Fontina cheese. Prosciutto is not easy to find where I live and Fontina can be expensive! In this recipe I opted to swap these ingredients out for thinly sliced lean deli ham and goat cheese. Authentic? Maybe not. But delicious and cost-effective? Completely. Feel free to experiment according to your taste preferences.
Recipe by Sugar Dish Me at https://www.sugardishme.com/carrabbas-copycat-pollo-rosa-maria/