Yummy! Try this fancy fried chicken recipe

In this special weekly feature, “Today” food editor Phil Lempert brings you recipes “stolen” (with permission) from notable restaurants across America. See how much fun you can have (and money you can save) by cooking these dishes at home.

THIS WEEK: Crispy Stuffed Free Range Chicken Breast with Prosciutto, Gruyere and Garlic Jus from Napa Valley Grille in Los Angeles, Calif.

North of the San Francisco Bay area is the Napa Valley known for it’s beautiful scenery, Mediterranean climate, and  wine. One of America’s most pleasant places to live and vacation, Napa County also hosts some restaurants with divine food you won’t want to miss. Napa Valley Grille offers a taste of the Napa Valley in six locations around the country. For those not taking the train to Napa anytime soon, here’s a recipe for Crispy Stuffed Free Range Chicken Breast with Prosciutto, Gruyere and Garlic Jus we’ve “stolen” from Chef Anne Conness at the Napa Valley Grille. For the perfect compliment to this dish, Chef Conness recommends a medium-bodied pinot noir with the chicken dish, or, off the beaten track, a fabulous rose.

About the Chef

Don Liebig

Anne Conness was born in Florida but grew up in northern California where she fondly remembers venturing into San Francisco with her father to explore a variety of ethnic cuisines. She attended Georgetown University, where she received a degree in English. While studying in Washington, D.C., however, Conness dined at Jean-Louis at the Watergate, the renowned restaurant of the late chef Jean-Louis Palladin. That revelatory experience immediately triggered a profound interest in cooking and would ultimately prove to be the genesis of her second career as a chef.

Driven by the creative arts, Conness shifted gears and created set backgrounds for television and movies, both in New York and Los Angeles. This led to a stint with the WB Network. Eventually, Conness was drawn back to her passion for food, enrolling in and graduating from the professional chef program at L.A.’s Epicurean School of Culinary Arts.

Conness landed a job at pioneering Chinois on Main immediately after graduation, followed by other L.A. culinary landmarks: Campanile, Saddle Peak Lodge, Alex, and Executive Chef at EM Bistro. At EM Bistro, Conness turned out a contemporary brand of American comfort food that earned accolades from Bon Appétit, Gourmet and the Los Angeles Times. “My cooking philosophy is to try to use the finest ingredients available and keep it simple…I think the food should speak for itself without the chef getting in the way,” says Conness. Conness believes her personal style matches particularly well with Napa Valley Grille, where she is currently committed to cooking a seasonal, wine country cuisine that is consistent with her deeply personal approach to cooking.

Garlic Jus Ingredients
4 garlic cloves, whole
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup marsala wine
2 tablespoon  sherry vinegar
1 thyme sprig
1 bay leaf
2 quarts rich chicken stock, reduced to 2 cups

Other Ingredients
4 large boneless, skin-on chicken breasts
1/4 cup canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese

Steal This Recipe® step-by-step Instructions

Garlic Jus Instructions
1) To make garlic jus, melt butter in sauté pan and cook garlic cloves until golden brown
2) Deglaze pan with marsala wine and sherry vinegar
3) Reduce liquid over medium heat by a quarter
4) Add herbs and reduced chicken stock
5) Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes and strain, discarding solids

Instructions
The key to this dish is cooking the chicken entirely on the skin side so that it is crispy and the meat remains tender.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
1) Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides
2) With a knife make a horizontal slit into the chicken breast, making a pocket
3) Heat up an oven proof cast iron skillet and add canola oil
4) When the oil is very hot, add chicken breasts skin side down for 5 minutes
5) Split prosciutto into 4 servings and lay slices out flat
6) Divide the cheese and spread onto the prosciutto slices
7) Roll the prosciutto and cheese into an appropriate size which will fit into the pockets in the
chicken breasts
8) Carefully remove chicken from pan and stuff with proscuitto roll
9) Place chicken back into pan skin side down and place in oven for another 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through
10) Serve chicken with garlic jus, mashed potatoes and haricot vert

Only on TODAY.MSNBC.com! Food Editor Phil Lempert brings you the latest news and advice about shopping and cooking. LAST WEEK: Start your day with down-home soul food GO TO ALL FOOD WEDNESDAY COLUMNS

Napa Valley Grille
1100 Glendon Avenue
Los Angeles, CA  90024
310-824-3322
www.napavalleygrille.com

Want to nominate your favorite restaurant dish for a "Steal This Recipe" feature? Just e-mail Phil at (or use the mail box below) with the name of the restaurant, city and state, and the dish you would like to have re-created. Want to know more about Phil and food? Visit his Web site at www.supermarketguru.com.

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