Chicken Breast Valdosta with Braised Lentils and Spinach Petto di Pollo alla Valdostana con Lenticchie Brasate

Ingredients for the chicken dish:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 8 thin slices of prosciutto (enough to entirely cover the chicken breasts after pounding them)
• 8 slices of cheese (e.g., Gruyere), enough to entirely cover the chicken breasts after pounding them)
• tomato paste (e.g., from a tube)
• all-purpose flour
• butter and olive oil
• salt and pepper

Ingredients for the lentil dish:

• 1 cup of lentils (e.g., small, round french)
• 1 pound of (frozen) coarsely chopped spinach, well drained (do not use "creamed" spinach).
• 1-2 onions, diced
• 1-2 carrots, diced
• 1 celery stalk
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil
• ½ cube of beef stock
• 1-2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon course-ground mustard
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper

Instructions for the lentils and spinach:

• Sweat the unions in some olive oil or butter
• Put the lentils, carrots, celery, and bay leaves in a large sauce pan
• Add enough water to cover the lentils by 6-10 cm (2-4 inch)
• Add water if the lentils begin to turn dry before they are done!!!
• Add salt and half a bouillon cubeBring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a slow simmer
• Cook until the lentils are almost tender ("al dente"), 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from heat, drain well, and remove the bay leaves
• Fold in the basil, garlic, onions, and spinach
• Season with pepper, salt, nutmeg, cayenne, and mustard
• Transfer to a skillet or large frying pan, and add some olive oil
• Put aside and prepare the chicken dish
• Put the skillet back on the stove, and heat up while turning over regularly

Instructions for the chicken:

• Prepare the lentil dish, except for the last step
• Clean the chicken breasts: remove all fat, cartilage, tendons, etc. Remove the tenders; they can be treated like the breast meat.
• Season the pieces very lightly with salt
• Cover each breast with a slice of prosciutto; trim, so not too much sticks out
• Put the breasts on a sheet of kitchen wrap, prosciutto side up, and cover with kitchen wrap
• Pound the prosciutto into the chicken with fist
• Remove kitchen wrap
• Dredge the chicken breasts in flour to coat them lightly and tap off any excess flour
• Preheat the oven to 175 °C (375 °F)
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and of olive oil in a skillet that is large enough for all the meat
• Place the pieces in the skillet, prosciutto side down and cook until lightly brown (do not overcook the prosciutto, as it will become tough), approximately 2 minutes; turn over and brown the other side (about 3 minutes); make sure the chicken is cooked through
• Turn over the pieces (prosciutto side up agan), and put a trace of the thick tomato paste down the top of each piece
• Season the pieces with fresh ground pepper
• Completely cover the pieces with the cheese; trim, so not too much sticks out
• If the skillet is oven proof (if not, transfer the pieces to a cookie sheet or pizza sheet), put it under the broiler until the cheese bubbles and begins to turn brown (1-2 minutes; do not walk away)
• Serve chicken and lentils immediately on heated plates [recipe by Lidia Bastianich]