Prosciutto-stuffed Chicken and Balsamic Green Beans

This is a super easy-to-make and delicious gluten-free dish you can make to impress your friends, family, or a date any night of the week or for any special occasion!

There aren't very many ingredients, and both the chicken and green beans bake at the same time, so both will be hot and ready to go when you get ready to serve dinner.

Step 1: Ingredients and Utensils

This will make enough to serve 4 with some extra leftovers for breakfast for whoever is lucky enough to wake up before everyone else.

For the chicken:

- 2lbs Chicken thigh fillets (you can also use thin-cut breast fillets if you tenderize them enough to fold in half, but the thigh fillets definitely add a much richer flavor to the dish)

- Garlic and herb cheese spread (3 packs like the one pictured)

- Fresh basil (~2 plants)

- Prosciutto (enough for 1 slice per thigh fillet, which happened to be two packs in this case)

- Deli-sliced red peppers (two small jars)

- Olive oil (just a pinch)

- Italian seasoning to taste

For the green beans:

- 1.5lbs Green beans

- Roasted pepper and garlic seasoning

- ~1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar

- ~1/3 cup Olive oil

Utensils:

- Cutting board

- Glass baking trays

- Meat mallet and plastic bags if tenderizing breast fillets

- Sharp knife

Step 2: Prep the Green Beans

Rinse the green beans and then cut them in half, chopping off and discarding the ends.

Toss the trimmed green beans in a bowl with the olive oil and vinegar, adding in a healthy amount of the garlic and roasted red pepper seasoning. Make sure it's all mixed together and add it to a glass baking tray.

Set the green beans aside to soak up some of the vinegar while you prep the chicken.

Step 3: Prep the Chicken

Trim off any unwanted fat and lay your chicken out flat on the cutting board. I've found that patting the chicken dry with some paper towels makes it quite a bit easier to apply the cheese spread.

Step 4: Add the Cheese Spread

Add the garlic and herb cheese spread to taste. I usually go with a layer that is about 1/4"-1/2" thick on each slice, but you can add more if you want a super cheesy dish.

You can also use other flavors of cheese spreads, like jalapeno or bell pepper, for some added variety.

Step 5: Add the Basil

Add a layer of basil. My mom grew some gargantuan basil leaves in her kitchen garden, so I had to chop the leaves up into smaller pieces for the chicken. If you are using one of the live basil plants from the grocery store, one plant should give you enough leaves to cover the full 2lbs of chicken.

Usually, this is right about the perfect time to preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. By the time I'm done prepping the chicken, the oven is ready to go!

Step 6: Add the Prosciutto

Add a layer of prosciutto over the basil. One layer thick, covering the entire slice is perfect for the dish.

Step 7: Add the Red Peppers

Add some red peppers. Since you'll be folding the chicken in half to bake, only add the strips of peppers to half of the chicken. Save the brine from the peppers.

Step 8: Prep the Chicken Tray and Toss It All in the Oven

Put a pinch of olive oil in the glass tray for the chicken and spread it around. Add a little Italian seasoning, some basil leaves, and a few peppers before adding the folded chicken fillets. Spoon some of the saved pepper brine over the chicken, adding some more Italian seasoning, basil leaves, and peppers.

Toss the chicken and the green beans in the oven (which should be ready to go at 450 degrees Fahrenheit), and set your timer for 30 minutes.