Making a pocket in the chicken breast to hold the stuffing is easy with a good, sharp, thin-bladed knife. Browning the chicken in a skillet before baking gives it a beautiful golden color, and finishing in the oven ensures that it cooks evenly throughout.

Makes 4 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 25 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1/4 cup grated Swiss, Monterey Jack or part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped ham
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1-1 1/4 pounds total)
1 egg white
1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Use a baking sheet with sides and lightly coat it with cooking spray.
2. Mix cheese, ham, mustard and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of a chicken breast half, nearly through to the opposite side. Open up the breast and place one-fourth of the filling in the center. Close the breast over the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and filling.
4. Lightly beat egg white with a fork in a medium bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow glass dish. Hold each chicken breast half together and dip in egg white, then dredge in breadcrumbs. (Discard leftovers.)
5. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts; cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Place the chicken, browned-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is no longer pink in the center or until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, about 20 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 236 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 74 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrate; 31 g protein; 1 g fiber; 287 mg sodium; 347 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Selenium 38% daily value).

1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

It was fantastic, easy to prepare and even my children loved it!!!!!

Anonymous, Jupiter, FL

Delicious! My fiance and I are doing the national body challenge thing and he's been kicking and screaming about the food - except with this one he almost licked the plate!

Ashley, Goose creek, SC

Made these tonight and they were delicious! I made it with mozzarella cheese and they did not taste healthy at all! I will add this dish to our regular meals.

Lauren, MI

This was very easy to make, and it was really good. I'll make it again.

Donna, Lyons, CO

Altered this with turkey ham and sharp cheddar with a side of steamed vegetables. It was a delicious dish that was very easy and quick to make. Boyfriend called me during lunch just to tell me he loved it and then he loved it more when I told him the nutrition facts.

Deanna, San Diego, CA

Fantastic chicken recipe. I barely cook, yet this recipe was simple enough and produced an awesome, moist chicken dish that everyone enjoyed. The bang for your buck relationship between taste and nutritional values is amazing.

JG

I am always looking for chicken dishes and this one is now one of my families new favorites! I promise even the kids will like it!

Lori, Malone, NY

I prepared this tonight & it was wonderful!

Sarah, Arlington, TX