Ingredients

Mushrooms:

• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 8 oz. brown mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Chicken:

• 4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
• Salt and pepper, to season
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 2 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 8 slices mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine, optional
• 12 toothpicks to seal the stuffed breasts

Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce:

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic minced or finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1-1/2 cups half and half or use reduced fat cream or evaporated milk*
• 1/2 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper, to your tastes
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch cornflour mixed with 2 teaspoons of water, optional
• 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley

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Directions

Chicken:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Melt butter in a large oven proof pan or skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in mushrooms, salt and pepper (to your tastes), and parsley. Cook while stirring occasionally until soft. Set aside and allow to cool while preparing your chicken.
3. Pat breasts dry with a paper towel. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder and dried parsley. Rub each piece to evenly coat in seasoning. 
4. Horizontally slice a slit through the thickest part of each breast to form a pocket. Fold and place 2 slices of mozzarella into each breast pocket. 
5. Divide the mushroom mixture into four equal portions and fill each breast with the mushroom mixture (leave the juices in the pan for later. If there are any left over mushrooms, don’t worry. You’ll use them later). Top the mushroom mixture with 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese per breast. Seal with two or three toothpicks near the opening to keep the mushrooms inside while cooking.
6. Heat the same pan the mushrooms were in along with the pan juices (the garlic butter will start to brown and take on a ‘nutty’ flavor). Add the chicken and sear until golden. Flip and sear on the other side until golden; about 3 minutes per side. You may have to do this in two batches so that the meat sears instead of steams.
7. OPTIONAL: With pan empty, add 1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine into hot pan and stir to loosen fond and browned bits. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan.
8. Cover tightly and continue cooking in preheated oven for a further 20 minutes, or until completely cooked through the middle and no longer pink.
9. Move to serving platter and remove toothpicks. Serve, with pan juices and any remaining mushrooms, on top of pasta, rice or steamed vegetables.
10. To make the optional cream sauce, transfer chicken to a warm plate, keeping all juices in the pan.

Sauce:

1. Fry the garlic in the leftover pan juices until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low heat, and add the mustard and half and half (or cream). 
2. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and add in any remaining mushrooms and parmesan cheese. Allow the sauce to simmer until the parmesan cheese has melted slightly. If the sauce is too runny for your liking, add the cornstarch/water mixture into the center of the pan and mix through fast to combine into the sauce. It will begin to thicken immediately.
3. Season with a little salt and pepper to your taste. Add in the parsley and the chicken back into the pan to serve.

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