Input on this chicken recipe requested

I'm planning on cooking a chicken dish in about a week and would like your suggestions...

Basically, it's a pounded chicken breast, with a filling that's rolled up and coated with panko bread crumbs.

What I'm leaning towards is this:

Pounded chicken breast
Filling: marinated artichokes, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, toasted pine nuts and a soft cheese (undetermined yet - suggestions??)
Roll up the above, then wrap this in a single layer of Proscuitto ham - overkill??
roll in Panko crumbs and bake.

Will the ham be detectible or is it too much? Suggestions for the cheese?

Thanks,

Paul

I'd put the ham inside, not outside, wrap it around the cheese like chicken Cordon Bleu.

It was Cordon Bleu that got me thinking about including ham. I've cooked this recipe before, but sans ham. Thanks Bryan!

Paul

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Paul K:
It was Cordon Bleu that got me thinking about including ham. I've cooked this recipe before, but sans ham. Thanks Bryan!

Paul </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
If you wanted to put something on the outside, I'd go with Pancetta, and put the Proscuitto on the inside, def overkill but sounds good to me.

First thing I thought of: prosciutto on the inside -- in thin short 'ribbons'.

Additionally: pulse the panko briefly, first, in your processor so that it ends up a bit closer to the middle of the scale between how it comes out of the package and 'regular' crumbs; err on the side of coarser so don't overdo it. Drain the hearts and peppers well then add to the onions at the end of their caramelization. (I'd add a splash of cheap white here -- a tiny splash -- so that it, combined with the moisture from the chokes and peppers, will deglaze the pan. Evaporate to practically nothing so that these three ingredients won't be giving off too much moisture once used in the filling, making it too moist for service.

Go light on the cheese so it justs helps to bind and add flavor only. Me, I'd use a 50-50 or 75-25 mix of mascarpone and goat.

Run your knife over the toasted pine nuts a couple time. I'd look to coarsely finish the nuts and a knife is better for this. Though small, whole nuts, imo, would be a little jarring here; chopping quickly will result in a variety of sizes (including some left whole, perhaps) all the way down to practically powder. This will spread the nut flavor better and will offer binding as well.

Consider adding a sprig of thyme to the onions at the beginning of cooking. Mash a little as they caramelize then remove the sprig before adding the chokes and peppers.

Don't overfill.

Just my 2.

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the input. Though I didn't write it, I had planned on a course chop to the pine nuts; good point. Kevin; I like the goat cheese suggestion as well as the thyme.

Paul