It is really easy to make a big pot of spaghetti that will last for many meals, but it can get boring after the first night. No matter what you do, it is still spaghetti.

The secret to stretching one dish into many is to make a foundation meal that you can build on later in the week. One dish that fits the bill is Stuffed Chicken Breast. After preparing the main performer and a supporting cast of characters ahead of time, throwing a meal together each night is a breeze.

Potential meals include:

• Night 1: We serve it hot out of the oven with a side salad from a bag and veggies from the freezer.
  
• Night 2: Slice a part of a breast into strips; with some sautéed onions & bell peppers. Grill under the broiler with cheese, add tortillas and you have fajitas!
  
• Night 3: Make a pot of soup by browning diced onions, carrots, celery & mushrooms in a little canola oil. Add diced chicken breast and a tablespoon of flour. Stir until mixed then add water and seasoning.
  
• Night 4: Thin-slice some chicken to go over a salad or make sandwiches. It would go great with some of the soup from last night if there are leftovers.
  
• Night 5: Cube some chicken and sauté in olive oil with mushrooms, onions & garlic. Pour in a jar of your favorite sauce and serve over pasta.

So, how do we make Stuffed Chicken Breast?
This is more a procedure than a strict recipe. There is no wrong way to prepare it and there is ample room for creativity.

Tools
a good knife
sauté pan
large baking pan
a few bowls
food processor

Ingredients
chicken breasts
eggs
vegetable or canola oil
salt & pepper.

That is the minimum. You can add your own variations, but let’s talk about that later.

Directions
First trim the chicken. Cut off all the little hanging bits and set them aside in a bowl. The extra meat bits will go into the stuffing. Trim most of the fat but leave a little to add flavor.

Next, cut a little pocket into the side of the breast for the stuffing. Be sure not to cut the breast completely in two. Do this for all the pieces.

Let’s go on to the stuffing. First, let’s start heating up your sauté pan. Set it on medium heat with a little oil. We will need this pan hot in a minute or two, but not right away.

Now, take the meat bits we trimmed earlier and put them in your food processor. We want to add one egg for every 4 chicken breasts. This is just a guess based on the size of your eggs and chickens, but it should be pretty close. Season with salt and a little pepper to taste, and give the food processor a spin. Keep it running until the whole mix looks fairly smooth; kind of like refried beans.

Ok, I know what you are thinking: how do I know I added enough seasoning? That is why we have a hot pan on the stove. Take about a teaspoon of the stuffing mix and drop it on your hot pan. Cook it on both sides, let it cool and take a taste. If you need to add more salt or pepper, you will know at this point. If you added too much, add another egg or maybe some cheese to take up the slack.

Variations
Lets talk about variations, this is the point where you can get creative with your stuffing by adding other ingredients like:

• Minced garlic or onions
  
• Seasoned bread crumbs or just a slice of your favorite loaf
  
• Pine nuts or pistachios
  
• Any kind of mushroom
  
• Cream Cheese, Feta, Ricotta or even Stilton
  
• Spinach, mustard greens or maybe even grilled eggplant
  

The possibilities are endless and it is easy to keep the mix smooth by just adding another egg or two if needed. For variety, try this procedure with pork, fish and even tofu.

Fill’er up boss!
At this point, heat your oven to 350º. Add a little more oil to your sauté pan along with a little in the baking dish. Get a pan turner or pair of tongs ready for the next step.

Ok, we have our stuffing and now we fill the chicken breasts. Working on your cutting board, use a spoon, spatula, pastry bag or even a zipper bag with a corner cut off to fill each breast. Fill them evenly, but don’t worry about being perfect. Once all are filled, season the tops while they are sitting on the board and we are ready move on to the next step.

Turn the heat up on your sauté pan to just below high. When it is hot, move your filled chicken breasts seasoned side down to the pan and then, season the other sides. We are only going to lightly brown the meat on each side and then finish cooking them in the oven. Once each breast is lightly browned on one side, brown on the other side and then transfer it to the baking pan.

Once you have browned all the breasts, put the baking dish in the oven. It will take around 25 to 35 minutes to finish cooking, but this may vary with your oven. They are done when the internal temperature hits 160º. If some of the breasts are smaller than the others, you may want to remove them from the oven first and let the rest finish at their own pace.

The bonus round!
Earlier in the article, I talked about diced this and sliced that. Take the time while your breasts are cooking to do some additional prep work. Dice an onion or two and slice another one. Dice a few tomatoes, carrots and celery stalks. Slice some mushrooms and a few bell peppers. Now store all of them in plastic containers or zipper bags and you are ready for a weeks worth of quick meals. Have fun and be creative.

This article was originally published in the Summer 2005 issue of Budget Savvy.