Before I give you the story about this chicken I would like to thank my blog friend Kim from Liv Life, a beautiful blog, for tagging me and passing me these 8 questions. I accepted the challenge and here I am answering them.
1. What is your favorite restaurant?
My favorite restaurant is Altamira. It is a multi ethnic restaurant in the northern suburbs of Athens close to where I live and I always order Mexican when I go there.
2. When dining out do you prefer a fancy, dress up affair or casual with flip flops?
I’d say fancy casual. I like to get dressed nicely but not something extravagant.
3. Do you do fast food? If so, what is your favorite?
I am not sure I have understood the question. I sometimes eat fast food. There is a Greek chain called Goody’s where I eat couple of times per year. At this point let me give you a piece of information you may find interesting. Mc Donald’s came to Greece but they completely failed in conquering the Greek fast food market. Isn’t this amazing? If the question means if I make fast food, of course I do. I am working and sometimes it is impossible not to. Usually I make things with Campbell’s soups.
4. Do you remember one of the first recipes that you ever made? If so, do you still make it?
Of course it was Lemony Chicken Casserole and I have posted about it past summer. You can find it here.
5. The world is open to you. A personal private jet with pilot is waiting for your direction… Where will you go?
Now that was for me the most difficult question. There are so many places I want to go, so many cultures I want to see that I cannot possibly pick one. I would say that I would ask for the round of earth in 80 days.
6. How close do you now live to where you were born?
Actually, I was born here in Athens and live here all my life.
7. Wine… red, white or bubbly?
Sorry to disappoint you, I don’t drink wine. I am such a nerd.
8. Why did you start blogging?
Cause I thought that I would like to share with other people my true love for good food and perhaps show them how an average Greek family cooks today.
Now going back to that chicken. This is a funny story. I was trying to come up with a name for this chicken I made last night and I was talking to my husband about it. While we were talking I mentioned that I was inspired for this from Chicken Gordon Bleu, but I didn’t know how to name this. My son seemed to be playing with his playmobil toys at least that’s what we thought. So, after several names thrown on the table, we heard a little voice coming from behind the couch saying: ‘Say it mama blue Chicken’. And that’s how this dish took its name. It is amazing how children notice everything and listen to everything. Although you see them totally blasé sometimes, I think inside their little heads their neurons work like crazy transmitting all sort of information they receive from the environment sounding them.
Anyway, going back to the dish, I felt creative and I was starving to death. Especially the second is my most strong motive to make something quick and fairly easy. I had 6 chicken pieces of breasts and I didn’t want to do the same old things. So, I made this chicken and I accompanied it with French fries cut as chips. Next time I will do it with baked potatoes. It is going to be an absolutely decadent meal with thousands of calories. I can’t wait.
Mama Blue Chicken
Ingredients
6 pieces of chicken breast (around a kilo)
200 gr. cream cheese
3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 onion, chopped finely
1 spring onion, chopped
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 tbsp parmigiano
½ tsp thyme
¼ tsp Italian herbs
1/8 tsp green pepper
1 tsp truffle salt (you can use plain salt as well)
6 pieces of ham cut in half
Melted margarine around 100 gr.
Breadcrumbs to coat the pieces (around ½ cup to ¾ of a cup)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200° C.
In a bowl mix the cream cheese, and all the ingredients up to ham. Whisk until everything is incorporated.
Take the pieces of breast and flatten them either with the kitchen tool shown in the picture or with a rolling pin. I place the chicken in a plastic bag and flatten it, so as not to create a mess in my kitchen.
After you have flattened the chicken, take one by one and spread 1 spoon of the cream cheese mixture and on top of it place the two halves of the ham. Roll it to become like a thick roll and seal with toothpicks.
Soak them in the margarine and coat them with breadcrumbs. Place them in a pan and bake them for about 30 to 40 minutes, until they take a deep golden brown color. Take them out of the oven let them cool for 5 minutes and then serve with the side dish of your preference.
Since I’ve accepted the tag to answer these questions, I tag all of you who will leave a comment with one question.
Why did you start blogging? Please along with your comment on this recipe be so kind as to answer this question. I really am looking forward to reading your replies.
I am sending this to Weekend Herb Blogging an idea of Kalyn from Kalyn’s Kitchen, passed to Haalo from Cook Almost Anything, this week hosted by Chriesi of Almond Corner.