Chicken Florentine

           The first time I had stuffed chicken was with my Mom and Dad at a restaurant, Callahan's, near the base of Mt. Ashland. While the beer battered onion rings were pretty memorable, the stuffed chicken was absolutely by far the greatest thing to hit my pallet at that point in my life. Chicken is so versatile it can be used in just about any style of cooking: Italian, Thai, French, Indian, Indonesian and the list goes on and on.
          
           Ingredients: Chicken and stuffing.

2 individual (one connected) boneless skinless chicken breast.
1 heirloom tomato
8 spinach leaves
2 slices provolone cheese

         Ingredients: Sauce

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbs butter
1 tbs flour
1 1/2 cups milk
salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Fresh Parsley (optional)

            First, Trim chicken of excess fat. Most stores sell hand trimmed chicken breast if that is easier for you. Next, Split each breast length ways leaving a small peace on one side to keep the two halves connected. The end should look similar to the shape of a heart. Salt and pepper the inside of each breast. To stuff, place 1 slice of provolone in each split chicken breast, layer 4 spinach leaves and 3 slices tomatoes (thickness depends on how much you like tomatoes). Roll chicken breast starting the tip/point of your heart shaped split breast. Roll until it resembles the shape of a large sushi roll. Wrap in tinfoil and cook for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees.
           For the sauce, Make a standard Roux with your butter and flour. Melt butter until just before it starts to brown. Add flour and stir constantly for about 2-3 minutes (this cooks off the raw flour taste). Next, add 1 1/2 cups of whole milk stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Now you have a bechemel sauce. Add your Parmesan, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley and your done.
          To assemble, take the Chicken Florentine out of the oven and out of the tinfoil. Place on whatever dish you decide to use, lightly pour over your Parmesan sauce and enjoy!